There Won't Be a Fortnite Steam Deck Version, Tim Sweeney Says
https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/there-wont-be-fortnite-steam-deck-version-tim-sweeney-says
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says that there won't be a Fortnite Steam Deck version, citing concerns about the viability of anti-cheat on the platform.

If he's really that concerned about how well will Epic's Easy Anti Cheat spftware will work, then he ans his team should put more effort in that to make it 100% safe.

But we all know that this is not the reason for not putting Forrnite on Steam Deck, it's the money. Fortnite isn't available on Steam because, for Epic, Steam is their competition and they're not going to give them a since penny.

But I'm sure that, if Steam Deck is a success, Epic will find a way to port their Epic Store to Linux so that it can be installed on the Deck, allowing you to play their game from their store.

Doubtful. I thought so too, since it does tell the space requirement when you click 'Install', but in the beta it does so next to the 'Install' button too.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy is a big sales hit despite being a mess at launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy-is-a-big-sales-hit-despite-being-a-mess-at-launch/
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition, a remastering of GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas, was a mess at launch: "Rife with enough bugs and glitches to make Cyberpunk 2077 flinch," we said shortly after it arrived in November 2021. But, also like Cyberpunk 2077, which was a massive success despite being in a sorry state at launch, the dire condition of the GTA Trilogy didn't seem to hurt sales very much: In its most recent quarterly financial report, Take-Two cited it as one of the major contributors to revenues that exceeded the company's expectations.
>> jason1637 has made a thread about this undeserved success.

Steam has a new daily deal, four Midweek Madness deals and a bunch of Weeklong Deals:

• The daily deal is Siege Survival: Gloria Victis, that has a demo, 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167140/Siege_Survival_Gloria_Victis/
• The first Midweek Madness deal is Exo One, 25% off until February 10: https://store.steampowered.com/app/773370/Exo_One/
• Crusader Kings III is going to be 33% off until the same February 10: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1158310/Crusader_Kings_III/
• Ranch Simulator, still in Early Access, will be 20% off until Friday the 11th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1119730/Ranch_Simulator/
• Neon Abyss gets a 50% discount until February 14: https://store.steampowered.com/app/788100/Neon_Abyss/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Storm Chasers, still in Early Access, gets a 20% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/862800/Storm_Chasers/
  • Planetbase will be 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/403190/Planetbase/
  • Sizeable, that has a demo, is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1333910/Sizeable/
  • The Painscreek Killings gets a 60% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/
  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent is 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/57300/Amnesia_The_Dark_Descent/
  • And the last one of this sampling is Ultimate Racing 2D, with a massive 90% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/808080/Ultimate_Racing_2D/

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• Publisher Merge Games brings up to 80% discounts during the next 6 days. There are keys for Steam and GOG (2): https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/merge-games-publisher-sale/
• Publisher Herocraft also puts its games on sale, with up to 90% discounts during the next 6 days. There are keys for Steam and GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/herocraft-publisher-sale/

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Tokyo Xanadu eX+, 92% off during the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/tokyo-xanadu-e-x
• And the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Complete Bundle, featuring the three games, gets a 77% discount during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/stalker-complete-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Multiplayer V0.8.0 is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-multiplayer-v0-8-0-is-available-for-download/
David C. has released a brand new version of the unofficial Multiplayer project for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. TES3MP is based on OpenMW and, as its name implies, allows you to play this old Elder Scrolls game in multiplayer.
As said, TES3MP is the multiplayer branch of OpenMW, and not a mod. This basically means that TES3MP (as well as OpenMW) is made from the ground up, and uses none of Morrowind’s original engine code. As a result, its team can add any features it wants to it. Moreover, it can add features that would never be possible or even imaginable in a multiplayer mod.
According to its creator, Version 0.8.0 fixes a large part of the remaining gameplay problems. Additionally, it adds some major features.
Going into more details, Version 0.8.0 reworks attack , spellcasting and equipment synchronization. It also fixes freezes related to having too many players in a single interior cell. Furthermore, it packs a number of synchronization tweaks and enhancements.

This Fallout 4 Mod aims to overhaul the AI of the NPCs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-fallout-4-mod-aims-to-overhaul-the-ai-of-the-npcs/
Modder ‘SpiderAkiraC’ has released an interesting new mod for Fallout 4. According to the modder, F4AIO is a quest system that incorporates AI adjustments to the generic NPCs populating Diamond City and Goodneighbor.
Thanks to this mod, NPCs will now react to harsh weather, become a bit livelier and more unpredictable in their environments. Additionally, they will react accordingly to danger.

Here is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 8K with 200+ mods and Reshade Ray Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-in-8k-with-200-mods-and-reshade-ray-tracing/
Digital Dreams has shared a video, showcasing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 8K with over 200 mods and Reshade Ray Tracing. In order to capture this gameplay footage, Digital Dreams used an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090.
Now the good news here is that the YouTuber has shared the list of mods that they have been using. So, if you want to make the game look similar to the video, you can download the Heartland Modlist from here. Naturally, Digital Dreams also used Marty McFly’s Reshade Ray Tracing. By using it, you can enhance the game’s Global Illumination and Ambient Occlusion. Thankfully, Oblivion is also compatible with the NVIDIA Freestyle, meaning that you can use NVIDIA’s Reshade-like Ray Tracing effects.

GAMING NEWS

Dying Light 2 has been downgraded, E3 2018/2019 vs PC RTX
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/dying-light-2-has-been-downgraded-e3-2018-2019-vs-pc-rtx/
Techland has just released Dying Light 2 on PC and even though the game looks great with Ray Tracing, it became obvious that it has been downgraded from its original vision.
YouTube’s Nick930 has shared a video in which he compares the E3 2018 and 2019 versions of the game with its retail PC version. For this video, Nick930 used all the Ray Tracing effects that are present on PC.

Dying Light 2 Patch 1.04 reduces DLSS ghosting & fixes mouse key binding options
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dying-light-2-patch-1-04-reduces-dlss-ghosting-fixes-mouse-key-binding-options/
Techland has just released a new patch for the PC version of Dying Light 2. According to the release notes, Patch 1.04 packs some DLSS improvements. Unfortunately, though, it does not fully fix the ghosting/smearing issues we’ve reported.

Crysis Remastered PC Patch 3 released, bringing significant GPU & CPU performance improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/crysis-remastered-pc-patch-3-released-bringing-significant-gpu-cpu-performance-improvements/
Crytek has released the third patch for the PC version of Crysis Remastered. According to the team, this update brings significant GPU & CPU performance improvements, as well as some DLSS fixes.

Tuesday news, part two:

Bandai Namco's anime brawler Jump Force disappears from Steam today
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bandai-namcos-anime-brawler-jump-force-disappears-from-steam-today/
The anime brawler Jump Force did not wow us when it came out in early 2019—"It's all a bit boring," we said in our 55% review—but it's rated reasonably well on Steam, notching up a "mostly positive" ranking across more than 15,000 user reviews. If you're curious but still waiting for the right moment to give it a go, you might want to get a move on, because very soon it will be removed from sale.
>> The article is from yesterday, and the game is no longer available to be purchased.

Halo Infinite fans buy nail polish for Halo Infinite skin, get Forza Horizon 5 skin instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/halo-infinite-fans-buy-nail-polish-for-halo-infinite-skin-get-forza-horizon-5-skin-instead/
Halo fans have been left disappointed after buying nail polishes for a snazzy Spartan skin, only to find the included cosmetics were for Forza Horizon 5.
The beginning of 2022 saw Microsoft announce a neat collaboration between Xbox and nail polish brand OPI, with some verifiably cringeworthy shade names like You Had Me At Halo, N00berry, and Can't CTRL Me. The announcement also promised a cool Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 cosmetic for those who spent a certain amount on the polishes. The Halo cosmetic is a rad-looking shimmery Spartan recolour, while the Forza Horizon 5 cosmetic is a gorgeous sunset ombre livery.

Dying Light 2's dropkick is exactly as overpowered as it should be
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/dying-light-2s-dropkick-is-exactly-as-overpowered-as-it-should-be/
When I first glanced at Dying Light 2's expansive skill trees, my eyes immediately hunted for a certain ability that I knew would carry me through the apocalyptic wasteland. Not far down the combat tree I found the dropkick and decided to beeline my unlock points straight to it. I recommend you do the same, because Dying Light 2's dropkick is as fun as it is overpowered.

BioShock Infinite's Bread Boy proves game development is a fathomless mystery
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/bioshock-infinites-bread-boy-proves-game-development-is-a-fathomless-mystery/
The second part of BioShock Infinite's Burial At Sea DLC takes place in Paris, so in some ways it's no surprise that a boy can be found dancing endlessly around a noticeboard wielding an oversize baguette. (...)
But, the Bread Boy became a Bread Boy for a fairly logical game development reason, and as we've come to learn, many aspects of game design players take for granted are actually the result of extremely unintuitive tricks. Gwen Frey worked as senior technical animator on BioShock Infinite, and in a thread on Twitter she has finally revealed the (impeccable) logic behind why the boy is dancing with bread—and it's not because dancing bread boys capture the essence of Paris.

This hidden Dying Light 2 blueprint gives you a literal finger gun
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/this-hidden-dying-light-2-blueprint-gives-you-a-literal-finger-gun/
Want to find Dying Light 2's secret developer room and the blueprint for The Left Finger of gloVa? Or did you read that and say "How to find what the what? And the what?" Don't worry. Either way, I'll explain.

Age of Empires 3's historical battles get co-op support
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/age-of-empires-3s-historical-battles-get-co-op-support/
Age of Empires III, the somewhat quirky colonial twist on the series, has gone through a bit of a renaissance since its Definitive Edition came out back in October 2020 (which, incidentally, I reviewed on these very pages). The remaster introduced new civs, launched an expansion in form of The African Royals, and seems to have received more love and support from the developers than the original ever did.
Continuing this revival, developer Tantalus has added co-op support to the already excellent 'Historical Battles' mode. Historical Battles were a new addition to the Definitive Edition, letting you partake in 12 specially crafted battles, some of which involve unique factions that aren't otherwise playable like the Barbary Pirates and the Somalians.

Resident Evil 4 remake needs to improve the story, says Mikami, mainly because we only had a fortnight to write it
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/resident-evil-4-remake-needs-to-improve-the-story-says-mikami-mainly-because-we-only-had-a-fortnight-to-write-it/
Resident Evil 4, developed by Capcom's production studio and directed by Shinji Mikami, is almost more than a classic gaming title: It's the game so good that the industry can't stop remaking it. (...)
Shinji Mikami, now head of Tango Gameworks, recently gave an interview to Newsweek in which he was asked about the potential Resi 4 remake. "If it's a question of whether I want to see it or not think I do," said Mikami. "I just hope that they make the story better."

PlatinumGames wants to resurrect lost action game Scalebound
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/platinumgames-wants-to-resurrect-lost-action-game-scalebound/
Remember Scalebound? The dragon-buddy dubstep-heavy action game from PlatinumGames was introduced in 2014 as an Xbox exclusive. It starred a cocky headphone-wearing hero who ran around a scenic open world, slashing enemies with the kind of hyperactive explosiveness we've come to expect from the Japanese studio. That cockiness was justified too, because backing our hero up was the kind of stoney-scaled dragon you'd expect to see as a late-game boss rather than a trusty sidekick.
Scalebound was cancelled in 2017, but in a new interview with IGN Japan (translated by VGC), PlatinumGames' heads Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya revealed that they would like to revive the game, if Microsoft are up for it.

Watch the new 15 minute vidoc for Destiny 2's The Witch Queen expansion now
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/watch-the-new-15-minute-vidoc-for-destiny-2s-the-witch-queen-expansion-now/
With Destiny 2: The Witch Queen now just two weeks away, Bungie has released a lengthy new vidoc teasing big things ahead in an "unsettling mystery" that promises to pay off seeds that were planted all the way back in the original Destiny.

NVIDIA officially announce termination of ARM Limited acquisition plans

https://videocardz.com/press-release/nvidia-officially-announce-termination-of-arm-limited-acquisition-plans

Next-Gen Intel Arc Gaming GPUs To Utilize Multi-Chiplet Design As Hinted Within Patent

https://wccftech.com/next-gen-intel-arc-gaming-gpu-to-utilize-multi-chiplet-design/

If it ever comes out

Crypto going back up

Never ending cycle

I love how they are pushing anti=cheat as an excuse, despite the fact that FN still has cheaters on multiple platforms, and well, a lot of the games on EGS and Steam have cheaters as well, so them trying to push the "we 100% don't like cheaters" angle doesn't fit them at all, let alone being valid (since there's still no fool proof anti-cheat out there that hasn't been bypassed in some form or another. 

The Wednesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has three new deals:

• The first flash deal is The Blind Prophet, 55% off during the next 46 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_blind_prophet
• The second flash deal is Layers of Fear 2, 80% off until Friday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/layers_of_fear_2
• And the new Midweek Sale features scary horror games up to 90% off until Saturday: https://www.gog.com/promo/20220209_midweek_sale

Steam has three new deals:

• Titanfall 2 is 75% off during the next 50 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1237970/Titanfall_2/
• Witch It is another Midweek Madness deal and will be 70% off until next Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/559650/Witch_It/
• And Wytchwood gets a 30% discount until February 15: https://store.steampowered.com/app/729000/Wytchwood/

Fanatical ha another two new deals:

• The new Star Deal is Mortal Shell, 50% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/mortal-shell
• And the new Reaper Bundle X features 15 games and DLCs with a 97% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/reaper-bundle-x

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Doom-3-Bravo aims to bring a “Dead Space” feeling to id Software’s shooter
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/doom-3-bravo-aims-to-bring-a-dead-space-feeling-to-id-softwares-shooter/
Modder ‘hexenstar’ has released a brand new mod for Doom 3 that aims to bring some “Dead Space” vibes to id Software’s shooter. According to the modder, Doom-3-Bravo aims to polish and further emphasize the methodic demon-killfest of the original – by fully steering it onto the survival-horror path.
The promises to take full advantage of the plentiful secret areas of the game. Moreover, it upgrades certain demons to a more challenging level, and re-balances some weapons. It also adds flashlights to all weapons. Additionally, it packs a completely new weapon/item sound design from scratch, which will bring some real oomph to the gameplay experience.

GAMING NEWS

Here are the official PC system requirements for Shadow Warrior 3
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/here-are-the-official-pc-system-requirements-for-shadow-warrior-3/
Flying Wild Hog has revealed the official PC system requirements for Shadow Warrior 3. According to the PC specs, the game will require 31GB of free hard-disk space, and will work on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters will release on May 5th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warhammer-40000-chaos-gate-daemonhunters-will-release-on-may-5th/
Frontier Foundry has announced that the turn-based tactical RPG Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters will release on May 5th, 2022. In order to celebrate this announcement, the team released a brand new trailer that you can find below.

Super Dungeon Maker, Zelda meets Super Mario Maker, is coming to Steam Early Access on February 15th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/super-dungeon-maker-zelda-meets-super-mario-maker-is-coming-to-steam-early-access-on-february-15th/
FIRECHICK has announced that Super Dungeon Maker, an adorable 2D pixel art dungeon-crawler-meets-level-designer mash-up, will launch on Steam Early Access on February 15th. FIRECHICK described this game as a Zelda-inspired level editor like Super Mario Maker.

Historical first/third person combat game, Battle Cry of Freedom, releases on March 1st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/historical-first-third-person-combat-game-battle-cry-of-freedom-releases-on-march-1st/
Flying Squirrel Entertainment has announced that its historical first/third person combat game, Battle Cry of Freedom, will release on March 1st. And, in order to celebrate this announcement, the team released a brand new trailer for it.

God of War Update 1.0.6 released, full patch notes revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/god-of-war-update-1-0-6-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
A couple of days ago, Jetpack and Santa Monica released the fifth patch for the PC version of God of War. And, here we are today with the teams releasing a brand new update for this game on PC.
According to the changelog, Update 1.0.6 improves the quality of FSR. As such, and when you enable it, you won’t be getting the disappointing blurry/blocky image quality that its launch version featured.

Crysis Remastered now runs 81% faster than its launch version
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/crysis-remastered-now-runs-81-faster-than-its-launch-version/
When Crysis Remastered came out, we were among the first who criticized Crytek for the game’s technical issues. At launch, the game had major stuttering issues, and was mostly single-threaded. Thankfully, though, Crytek decided to improve the game’s performance via some post-launch updates. And now, one and a half years after its launch, we can finally enjoy the game at high framerates.

Dark Souls servers will remain offline, will go back online after the release of Elden Ring
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dark-souls-servers-will-remain-offline-will-go-back-online-after-the-release-of-elden-ring/
Bandai Namco and FromSoftware announced that the PVP servers of Dark Souls will remain offline. As the teams claim, due to the time required to set up proper testing environments, the servers will go back online only after the release of Elden Ring.

The Wednesday news, the sequel:

Guild Wars 2's new Jade Bots could be the best feature of the next expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/guild-wars-2s-new-jade-bots-could-be-the-best-feature-of-the-next-expansion/
Of all of Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons' new features, Jade Bots—revealed last week in the release date announcement trailer—could well be the most useful. Skiffs are a fun social activity, but we've already got Skimmers for water traversal. Siege Turtles are ace, but they're ultimately just another mount. Jade Bots, though, are set to enhance a variety of the things players are already doing throughout Tyria, and offer even more utility in the new maps the expansion will bring.

Elden Ring's open world 'took a lot more effort' than previous Souls games
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/elden-rings-open-world-took-a-lot-more-effort-than-previous-souls-games/
With Elden Ring just a few weeks away, it's entering that time when the fervor of the Souls faithful could perhaps be tinged with just a little bit of anxiety. Because at the same time as the prospect of Dark Souls expanding into an open world setting is tantalizing, isn't it also terrifying? Do those rolling fields conceal dungeons as intricate and distinctive as Dark Souls' Lordran or Dark Souls 3's Lothric? Can this open world still retain that sense of verticality—the kind of glorious contrasts like those between the sky-stabbing spires of Anor Londo and the bowels of Blighttown?
As if sensing that our faith is being tested, Edge Magazine has released an interview with Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. In it, he reveals how FromSoftware tackled its first truly open world game, and the challenges of merging this with the Souls formula.

Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific season 2 adds poison bombs that bring the circle to you
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/call-of-duty-warzone-pacific-season-2-adds-poison-bombs-that-bring-the-circle-to-you/
Activision has revealed more about what's coming in Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific season 2, which will see the addition of two new points of interest to the new Caldera map, flyable bombers and redeploy balloons, AI-controlled armored trucks with massive loot, and the pièce de résistance, an extremely rare explosive device called the Nebula V Bomb that brings the deadly gas surrounding the combat zone down on top of its victims.

Steam is hiccupping as everyone rushes to preload Lost Ark
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/lost-ark-steam-download/
On Monday, Steam strained under the weight of preloads for Lost Ark, a free-to-play Korean action RPG MMO that's now launching in the Americas and Europe. Prospective players complained about long download times, and Lost Ark acknowledged the issue and said that Valve was looking into it. Things started looking smoother last night, but Steam's bandwidth appears to be peaking once again as Lost Ark's servers open for players with head-start access.
>> Here's when it unlocks, in case you're interested.

America's Army is finally closing for good
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/americas-army-is-finally-closing-for-good/
After 20 years of operation, America's Army—the videogame, not the real-world military force—is going away. The US Army said in the official America's Army forum that all support and official servers for America's Army: Proving Grounds, the current iteration of the series, will be shut down on May 5.

Capcom 'resolves' lawsuit over images used in Resident Evil 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/capcom-resolves-lawsuit-over-images-used-in-resident-evil-4/
A lot of copyright infringement cases in the games world are tedious, frustrating affairs, solidifying the idea that games publishers are staffed with painfully pedantic legal automatons designed for one purpose: copyright-striking (yes you, Take-Two). What's less common is a copyright dispute where your jaw drops at the resemblance between dozens of textures in a major game look and the photographs in an art photography book.
That was the basis for designer Judy A. Juracek's lawsuit against Capcom, which alleged last June that the publisher used, without permission, at least 80 photographs from a CD-ROM accompanying her 1996 photography book Spaces. Most of the textures were claimed to feature in Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 4. Now, the law firm representing Juracek, St Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC, has confirmed that the dispute has been "amicably resolved" (thanks, Polygon).

Blizzard's hiring for a new entry in an 'established IP'
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/blizzards-hiring-for-a-new-entry-in-an-established-ip/
(...)
Now another job listing has appeared for "Lead Content Designer—Unannounced Project.' The most interesting part of the ad is this requirement: "Champion a clear vision for mechanically and narratively interesting missions within an established Blizzard IP."

Take-Two CEO doesn't want GTA 6 to stay stuck in the past
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/take-two-ceo-doesnt-want-gta-to-stay-stuck-in-the-past/
Grand Theft Auto V and its online counterpart (which is very much the dominant part at this point) must count among the most-milked games of all time. (...)
But in light of Rockstar confirming that Grand Theft Auto 6 is now in development, perhaps the series is finally ready to move on. This has been echoed by Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz said that the series can't stay stuck in the past.
>> For a moment, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.