Monday news, the second part:

Lara Croft modding maestro reveals he's been missing because Saber nabbed him for the Tomb Raider 'dream team', assembling a crack squad 'of crazy people' to put together the remasters
https://www.pcgamer.com/lara-croft-modding-maestro-reveals-hes-been-missing-because-saber-nabbed-him-for-the-tomb-raider-dream-team-assembling-a-crack-squad-of-crazy-people-to-put-together-the-remasters/
If you've been wondering where OpenLara—an open-source engine reimplementation for the first five Tomb Raider games—has wandered off to, we now have an answer. Its creator Timur Gagiev got lassoed by Saber and Aspyr to lead their remasters of Tomb Raiders 1-3, lending them his expertise in gussying up Lara's oldest adventures for the past year in what he calls a "dream project that has become the culmination of the last eight years of my life."

If you're wondering why Diablo 4 has a horse for sale with $65 of premium currency stuck to it, let me introduce you to 'price anchoring'
https://www.pcgamer.com/if-youre-wondering-why-diablo-4-has-a-horse-for-sale-with-dollar65-of-premium-currency-stuck-to-it-let-me-introduce-you-to-price-anchoring/
If you've looked at the Diablo 4 store and wondered why you can't buy something without it being part of a bundle, I regret to inform you that it's super on purpose. I talked about this earlier in the week, regarding a set of class-locked portal recolours going for $20 (with a mandatory $10 purchase of 1,000 platinum). Turns out, this happens a lot.

Palworld says public server problems are 'due to cheating and the influence of fraudulent activities', outlines plans to add anti-cheat software to nip it in the bud
https://www.pcgamer.com/palworld-says-public-server-problems-are-due-to-cheating-and-the-influence-of-fraudulent-activities-outlines-plans-to-add-anti-cheat-software-to-nip-it-in-the-bud/
Palworld's had a bit of a cheater problem recently, and if you're wondering why that matters in a PvE title, it's because of the public servers. Item duping, one-shotting, and (according to a recent announcement) problems accessing the servers themselves have all become headaches for the game's players and developers alike.
"Currently, some users are unable to connect to official servers due to cheating and the influence of fraudulent activities," reads a statement on the game's official Discord and Twitter. "We have confirmed that some players are unable to play the game properly. As a company, we do not tolerate any fraudulent activity or cheating, and we are working on measures to deal with it strictly and as a priority," developer Pocketpair said.

If you don't want to pay $60 for Skull and Bones, you can play it 8 hours for free instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/if-you-dont-want-to-pay-dollar60-for-skull-and-bones-you-can-play-it-8-hours-for-free-instead/
Ubisoft's long-awaited pirate adventure Skull and Bones is out today, and if you're curious but put off by the unexpectedly steep price tag, I have good news: An eight-hour trial version is available, so you can see what it's all about without paying a penny.

Rocksteady says addressing Suicide Squad server issues is its 'top priority,' but it's 'not an easy nut to crack'
https://www.pcgamer.com/rocksteady-says-addressing-suicide-squad-server-issues-is-its-top-priority-but-its-not-an-easy-nut-to-crack/
In a new Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League developer update, Rocksteady says it's "top priority" is fixing persistent login and server problems that continue to plague the game. But it's not an easy fix, because it's not just one problem.
>> On the bright side, it doesn't seem to be a problem that affects a lot of players...

An old BioWare RPG just got a big new community patch
https://www.pcgamer.com/an-old-bioware-rpg-just-got-a-big-new-community-patch/
Six years after its debut, Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, the Beamdog-buffed update of BioWare's famed 2002 D&D RPG, has got a big new patch featuring improvements to the UI, better HDR-bloom post-processing effects, more than 100 bugfixes, and "significant performance improvements across the board."
The patch was first announced in early December 2023 but only went live yesterday, after a couple months of testing. Interestingly, it wasn't developed by Beamdog: The patch notes (via GamingOnLinux) say the update "was developed for personal enjoyment and out of goodwill for our fellow players and creators by unpaid software engineers from the NWN community: clippy, Daz, Jasperre, Liareth, niv, shadguy, Soren, Squatting Monk, tinygiant, virusman."

The robots are winning: Helldivers 2 players are convinced those new planet defense missions are so difficult they must be bugged
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-how-to-extract-civilians-bots-draupnir-mantes/
Following yesterday's surprise assault on the Xzar system by the Automaton menace, the helldivers are in shambles. Squads are failing Planet Defense campaigns in droves as players complain that the new civilian rescue missions are way too difficult. Helldivers 2's galactic war is changing at a pace we don't usually see in a multiplayer game: As players complete one conquest, developer Arrowhead then triggers new planetary conflicts as lightly narrativized events.
(...)
Is a (non-Terminid) bug to blame? Possibly. Just hours after yesterday's robot invasion began, players reported that Extraction missions to safely escort civilians across a battlefield were unusually difficult. They argue that these specific missions, which are required to progress the Major Order objective, are more intense and dense with enemies than the same mission type on other planets.

Disco Elysium studio laying off nearly 25% of its staff⁠—including the final remaining writer from the original game's credits
https://www.pcgamer.com/disco-elysium-studio-laying-off-nearly-25-of-its-staffincluding-the-final-remaining-writer-from-the-original-games-credits/
According to a pair of reports from GLHF, Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM has canceled a standalone expansion to Disco Elysium codenamed X7 and is laying off 24 workers, including Argo Tuulik, the last remaining employee at ZA/UM credited as a writer on the original Disco Elysium. ZA/UM subsequently confirmed the layoffs and project cancellation in a statement to PC Gamer.

Bandai Namco has canceled 'at least five' games following a drop in sales, would like to remind everyone it still has 'large-scale downloadable content for Elden Ring' on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/bandai-namco-has-canceled-at-least-five-games-following-a-drop-in-sales-would-like-to-remind-everyone-it-still-has-large-scale-downloadable-content-for-elden-ring-on-the-way/
Figures from Bandai Namco's recently concluded third fiscal quarter (via VGC), show its digital division performing poorly compared to the same period last year, with income falling by a huge 96.5%. A statement accompanying the figures explained the dramatic drop-off was due to an understandable inability to replicate the massive success of Elden Ring, despite Armored Core 6 and its Dragon Ball and One Piece games doing fine.
(...)
In a subsequent Q&A, a spokesperson for Bandai Namco added, "We have also decided to discontinue the development of at least five other titles under development and have recorded a loss on disposal."

Creative Assembly shows off hag lore, three-headed heroes, and other additions coming to Total War: Warhammer 3's DLC
https://www.pcgamer.com/creative-assembly-shows-off-hag-lore-three-headed-heroes-and-other-additions-coming-to-total-war-warhammer-3s-dlc/
We've already seen the new additions to Cathay's roster in the Shadows of Change DLC coming with patch 4.2, and now Creative Assembly has posted two more blogs lining up all the new stuff coming to the armies of Tzeentch and Kislev. It's a lot.

Surprising no one, here's the third part of the Monday news:

SpellRogue is a dice-tossing take on the Slay the Spire format
https://www.pcgamer.com/spellrogue-is-a-dice-tossing-take-on-the-slay-the-spire-format/
New deckbuilding roguelite SpellRogue has an interesting twist: You've got your cards, sure, but they're powered by a pool of dice that you re-roll each turn. The debut game of new developer Guidelight, SpellRogue focuses on building up potent combinations of spell abilities and fuelling them by rolling a pool of mana dice.

Acid Planet looks like a cross of Vampire Survivors and They Are Billions
https://www.pcgamer.com/acid-planet-looks-like-a-cross-of-vampire-survivors-and-they-are-billions/
An upcoming blend of action roguelike and tower defense called Acid Planet will drop you on a ruined world with your weapons, your wits, and a very remarkable number of drones and automated gun turrets. Your opposition is a seemingly-endless horde of mutated monsters led by gigantic, stompy kaiju.

Be a fantasy god smashing an army of terraforming robots in Gods Against Machines
https://www.pcgamer.com/be-a-fantasy-god-smashing-an-army-of-terraforming-robots-in-gods-against-machines/
An upcoming little indie action game sets some weird little mythological fantasy monsters up against an army of sci-fi robots looking to terraform their world, casting the player as a wrathful god seeking to strike down the invading robots with their powers. It releases later this month and has a demo out now on Steam.

FSR 3 removed from Nightingale's launch plan with 'a significant number' of game crashes blamed on the AMD tech 'whether or not users had the setting turned on'
https://www.pcgamer.com/fsr-3-removed-from-nightingales-launch-plan-with-a-significant-number-of-game-crashes-blamed-on-the-amd-tech-whether-or-not-users-had-the-setting-turned-on/
Nightingale, the latest hit in the sea of co-op survival games, has been running into a number of problems in its recent server stress test. That's par for the course of any online beta, but the developers noticed something very specific about a significant number of the crashes recorded: No matter whether it was enabled or not, the implementation of AMD's FSR 3 upscaling tech was apparently to blame. With the official launch happening tomorrow, the developers were left with only one choice and that was to yank the code right out.
>> Other games have included FSR3 without problems so, is it the tech or the devs when they implemented it?

The server tech that saved WoW 10 years ago is causing problems for Classic's Season of Discovery, dev reveals: 'a layer is actually just sharding with a lot of sticky tape'
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-server-tech-that-saved-wow-10-years-ago-is-causing-problems-for-classics-season-of-discovery-dev-reveals-a-layer-is-actually-just-sharding-with-a-lot-of-sticky-tape/
The second season of WoW classic's Season of Discovery (SoD) is live—and the layers are acting up again, this time in Stranglethorn Vale (STV). For the uninitiated, this season brings Blood Moons to STV: 30-minute PvP brawls that tick around every three hours. The main issue? The bouncers at the door aren't great at their jobs.

Helldivers 2 patch makes its absurdly hard defence events easier, but ups the challenge at higher difficulties
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-patch-makes-its-absurdly-hard-defence-events-easier-but-ups-the-challenge-at-higher-difficulties/
Helldivers 2 has endured another chaotic weekend, with developer Arrowhead Game Studios taking the drastic step of capping the game's player count players to help servers cope with demand following its stratospherically popular launch. In the midst of all that, however, the studio also dropped a more general patch to address several other issues. Patch 01.000.009 "continues the focus on stability and matchmaking", adding numerous fixes for crashes and. But it also makes a much needed tweak to the difficulty of one particularly brutal mission.
(...)
Anyway, the patch reduces the frequency of bot drops on the mission to make it more manageable. But what democracy giveth, democracy taketh away, as the game's difficulty has been increased in several other areas. Eradicate missions, which involve clearing bug nests/automaton factories, have been made harder, although the mission timer has also been increased by four minutes, which should make completing side objectives more viable in these scenarios. Meanwhile, the three hardest mission difficulties—Suicide Mission, Impossible, and Helldive have also been made tougher.

A Dragon's Dogma 2 demo may be on the way, if the prophecy foretold by SteamDB proves true
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-dragons-dogma-2-demo-may-be-on-the-way-if-the-prophecy-foretold-by-steamdb-proves-true/
Dragon's Dogma 2 is scheduled to swoop down onto Steam in just over a month, wreaking fiery havoc upon fantasy fans' free time. But you may be able to get a taste of Capcom's RPG sequel sooner than that, as recent changes to the game on Steam, as registered by SteamDB, hint that a demo might be approaching over the horizon.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

GOG features the new Gore Galore Sale, with up to 90% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2024_gore_galore.

Steam has several new deals, sales and weeklong deals:

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition is going to be 40% off until the 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1250410/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator_40th_Anniversary_Edition/
• The Guildford Games Festival 2024 brings up to 95% discounts. The duration of the deals varies from game to game, with some deals ending the 22nd and others the 26th, (and who knows if there are more dates as well): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GuildfordGamesFestival2024
• Donut County will be 70% off until Monday, the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/702670/Donut_County/
• The XSEED/Marvelous Publisher Sale 2024 lands with up to 75% discounts until February, the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/xseed2024
• The DOOM franchise is on sale, up to 80% off until the 26th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/bethesda/sale/Doomfranchise2024
• For Bruce Wayne's Birthday, the Batman games are up to 90% off until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/brucewaynebday
• Xenonauts 2, still in Early Access, gets a 30% discount until the 4h of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/538030/Xenonauts_2/
• And here's a tiny sample of the weeklong deals:
  • Wildmender gets a 25% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1599330/Wildmender/
  • If you want o learn a bit about electronics, CRUMB Circuit Simulator can help you, and it's 33% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198800/CRUMB_Circuit_Simulator/
  • Cute Farmer Life is half its price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2556160/Cute_Farmer_Life/
  • Axis & Allies 1942 Online gets a 60% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/898920/Axis__Allies_1942_Online/
  • Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap gets a 70% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/543260/Wonder_Boy_The_Dragons_Trap/
  • And the last one, Gedonia, is 85% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1114220/Gedonia/

At Humble Bundle we find the IGN Fan Fest'24 Bundle, with 8 items to get during 15 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/ign-fan-fest-24.

And Fanatical has one new bundle: the BYO Premiere Bundle 2, with 22 games to choose when you build your 3, 5 or 8 titles bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-premiere-bundle.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Online Mod Released in Early Access
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-online-mod/
Zelda fans, here is something special for you today. A team of modders has just released an Online/Multiplayer Mod for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. By using this mod, you can experience this Zelda game with your friends.
Now what’s cool here is that you can enjoy this mod on PC. PC gamers can use a Nintendo GameCube emulator to play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. And yes, this Online/Multiplayer mod is compatible with them.
Ultimately, PC gamers can now enjoy Twilight Princess in a completely new way. To showcase what the mod can do, Kirbymimi shared the following gameplay trailer. We highly recommend watching it as it can give you an idea of what you can expect from it.
Among other things, the mod adds a chat box. By using it, you can chat with your friends. You can also use console commands via the chat box. And that’s not all. Up to 16 players can play simultaneously thanks to this Online Mod. The team has also added an enemy multiplier, as well as an enemy randomizer.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Just Got a Must-Have 17GB HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-just-got-a-must-have-17gb-hd-texture-pack/
HDPacks has released a must-have HD Texture Pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that weighs around 17GB in size. This pack will update all of the game’s textures, and it’s a must for everyone who plans to play it.
According to the modder, every texture in the game has been upscaled, as well as fonts, inventory icons, and some other details. The end result is quite amazing, and we highly recommend downloading it from this link.
To showcase the visual improvements, HDPacks shared the following video. This video compares the game’s vanilla textures with the modded ones. And, from what we can see, the modded textures look better in every way. So, be sure to watch it as it can give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from it.
Now the good news here is that this HD Texture Pack is compatible with both Ryujinx and Yuzu. As such, you can keep using your favorite Nintendo Switch emulator. This is really important for those who don’t want to switch to a different Nintendo Switch emulator for just one game.
>> The article has two videos.

Baldur's Gate 3's most beloved voice is joining Fallout 4's most ambitious mod as Astarion actor Neil Newbon bares his fangs on the streets of London
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3s-most-beloved-voice-is-joining-fallout-4s-most-ambitious-mod-as-astarion-actor-neil-newbon-bares-his-fangs-on-the-streets-of-london/
Fallout 4's mega-ambitious, DLC-sized, and indiscriminately British expansion mod Fallout: London is rapidly approaching its official release date of April 23, and to mark the occasion its creators have released its final (of many) progress videos, showcasing the mod's state ahead of its release and revealing a few appetite-whetting tidbits to pique your interest. First and foremost? Those mad lads have gotten Neil Newbon—Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion—to lend his voice to the project.

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Title Update 1.0.7 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-mirage-title-update-1-0-7-released-detailed/
Ubisoft has just released Title Update 1.0.7 for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and shared its full patch notes. According to the team, Patch 1.0.7 is 4.85GB in size on PC, and it will add a new feature, called Full Synchronization Challenge.

Tuesday news, the long part two:

Open world Terminator survival game set for full reveal at Nacon's Connect event later this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/open-world-terminator-survival-game-set-for-full-reveal-at-nacons-connect-event-later-this-month/
Ever since E3 was shattered into a million pieces by the pandemic, publishers have been sprinkling their own showcases across the calendar to highlight their new games. These days we can barely go three weeks without an event from Microsoft or Sony or, indeed, Nacon, which is bringing back its Connect event at the end of this month.
The publisher, which is probably best known right now for the recent release of the thoroughly alright Robocop: Rogue City, has run its Connect event for several years now. Its upcoming showcase will peel back the living tissue and reveal the metal endoskeleton of another movie franchise tie-in, namely its upcoming open world Terminator survival game.

Stormgate developer Frost Giant Studios is now asking fans to invest in the company
https://www.pcgamer.com/stormgate-developer-frost-giant-studios-is-now-asking-fans-to-invest-in-the-company/
After attracting nearly $35 million in an initial round of funding and another $2.3 million on Kickstarter, Stormgate developer Frost Giant Studios is looking to raise even more money, this time by inviting supporters to invest in the company in an upcoming "crowd-equity campaign."

Free sequel Please, Touch the Artwork 2 is out today, inviting you to poke a pile of paintings for hidden things
https://www.pcgamer.com/free-sequel-please-touch-the-artwork-2-is-out-today-inviting-you-to-poke-a-pile-of-paintings-for-hidden-things/
A surprise short sequel to 2022 puzzle game about modern art has dropped: Please, Touch the Artwork 2 is out now on Steam, and it's free to boot. Where the first was a puzzle game, this one's a hidden object adventure about a skeleton collecting items for weirdos that live inside paintings.

Helldivers 2 players are staying logged in overnight to dodge queue times and clog servers, Arrowhead's CEO agrees that an AFK time-out is due
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-players-are-staying-logged-in-overnight-to-dodge-queue-times-and-clog-servers-arrowheads-ceo-agrees-that-an-afk-time-out-is-due/
Helldivers 2 is good—like, really good. But that comes with a cost. With hundreds of thousands of players piling into the unexpected co-op shooter darling, servers have been buckling under the sheer weight of a mass deployment.
(...)
Now (as noted on the game's subreddit) it looks like players are staying logged in to dodge the queues, taking advantage of a lack of an AFK bouncer to show them the door. This, as you might imagine, will only make things worse in a game with locked server capacity.
>> The problems to log in are likely the cause that made the game has dropped to Mixed reviews on Steam.

Helldivers 2 help is coming: Updates focused on fixing 'login, matchmaking, and server load' problems will begin rolling out tomorrow
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-help-is-coming-updates-focused-on-fixing-login-matchmaking-and-server-load-problems-will-begin-rolling-out-tomorrow/
(...)
Developer Arrowhead Studios capped the concurrent player count at 450,000 over the weekend in order to help alleviate the worst of the troubles, but that's obviously not an ideal solution when you've got more than 450,000 people who want to play Helldivers 2 at the same time. Fortunately, more help is coming soon.
"We have improvements rolling out this week focused on the most serious problems in the game: login, matchmaking, and server load," Helldivers 2 production director Alex Bolle said on Discord. "You will see one update for PC and PS5 tomorrow, though please keep in mind that no single update will solve all the issues. Rather, we will be making continuous improvements over the days and weeks to come."
>> That tomorrow should be today.

Here's a soulslike with the flashy, colorful outfits and neat folklore of renaissance Italy
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-a-soulslike-with-the-flashy-colorful-outfits-and-neat-folklore-of-renaissance-italy/
An upcoming indie soulslike is attracting attention for its colorful, and quite attractive, use of the aesthetics and colors of premodern Italian fashion and folklore. Enotria: The Last Song doesn't stand out too much on the gameplay so far, but the developers at Jyamma are focusing hard on making this thing look really good and really stand out from the pack of other soulslikes that have mostly focused on dirty medieval fantasy or Baroque-to-Victorian settings.

Please behold the glory of the PowerWash Simulator x Warhammer 40K DLC trailer, with release to follow this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/please-behold-the-glory-of-the-powerwash-simulator-x-warhammer-40k-dlc-trailer-with-release-to-follow-this-month/
The grim darkness of the far future is going to shine a little brighter this month, as PowerWash Simulator's latest crossover DLC will hit on February 27, taking you to the world of Warhammer 40,000. A trailer released today takes a good long look at the job of a holy tech priest of Mars seeking to cleanse the sacred war gear of the machine god. (That is to say, power wash it.)

Sega's upcoming Crazy Taxi reboot will be a 'triple-A' game
https://www.pcgamer.com/segas-upcoming-crazy-taxi-reboot-will-be-a-triple-a-game/
Crazy Taxi fans, get your hopes high: In an interview with The Japan Times (via Eurogamer), Sapporo Studio president Takaya Segawa said the upcoming new game in the series will be "a triple-A game."

Capcom celebrates the 8th anniversary of Street Fighter V by saying sorry for Street Fighter V
https://www.pcgamer.com/capcom-celebrates-the-8th-anniversary-of-street-fighter-v-by-saying-sorry-for-street-fighter-v/
It's been eight years since Street Fighter V first appeared on the scene, and to celebrate the big birthday Capcom took to Twitter to say thanks for sticking with it—and, y'know, sorry for the whole thing.

Deep Rock Galactic just got a prop hunt minigame triggered by drinking transmutative beer
https://www.pcgamer.com/deep-rock-galactic-just-got-a-prop-hunt-minigame-triggered-by-drinking-transmutative-beer/
Beer has often made me feel like I've been twisted into some wretched new form, but it's never been anything a couple of Panadol and a bacon sandwich couldn't solve. I fear the dwarves of Deep Rock Galactic will soon need a more radical hangover cure than paracetamol and protein, however, as developer Ghost Ship Games has just introduced a brand new bevvy to its cooperative shooter that transforms them into new objects.

Helldivers 2 lead says the game's farcical comedy was inspired by tabletop games like D&D—and he's nowhere near the first dev to worship at the altar of pen and paper
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-lead-says-the-games-farcical-comedy-was-inspired-by-tabletop-games-like-danddand-hes-nowhere-near-the-first-dev-to-worship-at-the-altar-of-pen-and-paper/
I've written a touch about Helldivers 2's slapstick deaths, reinforced by rapid respawns and a low punishment for beefing it—its Magika-esque friendly fire systems also contributing to its 'Warhammer 40k Gone Wrong' vibes. It joins Lethal Company as a game where dying is just inherently funny, each panicked, scrambling doom its own punchline.
Arrowhead Games history of games centred around friendly fire fun is—according to the studio's CEO and creative director Johan Pilestedt—directly inspired by the chaos of tabletop roleplaying (thanks, GamesRadar).

Update your spreadsheets, CDPR is out talking about the genres its mysterious non-Witcher, non-Cyberpunk game isn't going to be
https://www.pcgamer.com/update-your-spreadsheets-cdpr-is-out-talking-about-the-genres-its-mysterious-non-witcher-non-cyberpunk-game-isnt-going-to-be/
With Cyberpunk 2077's redemption arc firmly in the rear-view mirror, CD Projekt Red is now full throttle on three separate projects. We already know, more or less, what two of them are: One is a new trilogy of Witcher games codenamed Polaris, and the other is a Cyberpunk sequel codenamed Orion. But one mysterious star-themed codename remains: Hadar, which we know is a "new IP" and, well, actually that's all we know.
Until today that is. Get out your game genre Guess Who boards everyone, because CDPR co-CEO Michał Nowakowski has taken to Twitter to let us all know what Hadar isn't. A few hundred more tweets like these and we'll probably be able to figure out just what the heck this thing is gonna be.

Cult of the Lamb developer would 'love to' add multiplayer, so it 'isn't off the table'
https://www.pcgamer.com/cult-of-the-lamb-developer-would-love-to-add-multiplayer-so-it-isnt-off-the-table/
Cult of the Lamb developer Massive Monster has been pretty busy lately. Last month, it launched a chunky free update in the form of Sins of the Flesh, allowing cult leaders to lead their followers into depravity, something its unexpectedly thirsty community was more than happy to do. Now it's planning "more content" and "more DLCs", which might also take it in an unusual direction.

You can chokeslam Post Malone in WWE 2K24 while listening to his curated soundtrack for the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-chokeslam-post-malone-in-wwe-2k24-while-listening-to-his-curated-soundtrack-for-the-game/
2K recently announced Post Malone is both the executive soundtrack producer for the upcoming WWE 2K24, and that he'll also be a playable character in a post-launch DLC pack. I'm looking forward to listening to his curated music selection as I smash Cody Rhodes' spine with a guitar while playing as Post Malone himself.

Let's do some hardware news:

PlayStation Portable hacked, shown running Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories through PPSSPP
https://videocardz.com/newz/playstation-portable-hacked-shown-running-grand-theft-auto-liberty-city-stories-through-ppsspp

GPD Win 4 (8840U) handheld to launch by the end of this month, GPD G1 eGPU updates announced
https://videocardz.com/newz/gpd-win-4-8840u-handheld-to-launch-by-the-end-of-this-month-gpd-g1-egpu-updates-announced

Lenovo Legion Go drops to 629 EUR in Germany, a 21% reduction from the original MSRP
https://videocardz.com/newz/lenovo-legion-go-drops-to-629-eur-in-germany-a-21-reduction-from-the-original-msrp

AMD Ryzen 7 8840U “Hawk Point” APU outperforms 7840U “Phoenix” and Steam Deck’s “Van Gogh” at 10 Watts
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-7-8840u-hawk-point-apu-outperforms-7840u-phoenix-and-steam-decks-van-gogh-at-10-watts

Intel Core i9-14900KS 6.2 GHz SKU has been listed by French retailer at €750
https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-core-i9-14900ks-6-2-ghz-sku-has-been-listed-by-french-retailer-at-e750

Intel Lunar Lake CPU leak shows 8-Core & 8-Thread config, cache sizes, and 2.8 GHz Boost
https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-lunar-lake-cpu-leak-shows-8-core-8-thread-config-cache-sizes-and-2-8-ghz-boost

AMD Zen 5 CPUs Reportedly Made On TSMC’s 3nm Process In Q2, Mass Production In Q3
https://wccftech.com/amd-zen-5-cpus-reportedly-made-on-tsmc-3nm-process-q2-mass-production-q3-2024/

AMD “Medusa” Zen6 client CPUs rumored to feature integrated RDNA5 graphics
https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-medusa-zen6-client-cpus-rumored-to-feature-integrated-rdna5-graphics

12V-2×6 “H++” Connector Offers Up To 675W GPU Power Delivery Versus 600W 12VHPWR “H+” Plug
https://wccftech.com/12v-2x6-h-connector-offers-675w-gpu-power-delivery-versus-600w-12vhpwr-h-plug/

NVIDIA teases GTC 2024 keynote: it’s all about AI
https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-teases-gtc-2024-keynote-its-all-about-ai
>>Not for us, then.

ASUS Launches ROG Swift PG32UCDM Gaming Monitor, 32-Inch QD-OLED Panel For $1299
https://wccftech.com/asus-launches-rog-swift-pg32ucdm-gaming-monitor-32-inch-qd-oled-panel-for-1299/

MSI MPG 321URX 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitor to cost $950 at launch
https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-mpg-321urx-4k-240hz-qd-oled-monitor-to-cost-950-at-launch

Crucial Supercharges The Gen5 SSD Segment With T705 Series: Up To 14.5 GB/s Speeds Starting At $239
https://wccftech.com/crucial-supercharges-gen5-ssd-segment-t705-series-up-to-14-5-gb-s-speeds/

TSMC 2 nm Node to Enter Risk Production in Q4-2024, Mass Production in Q2-2025 if All Goes Well
https://www.techpowerup.com/319301/tsmc-2-nm-node-to-enter-risk-production-in-q4-2024-mass-production-in-q2-2025-if-all-goes-well

Windows 11 24H2 Instruction Requirement Affects Older/Incompatible CPUs
https://www.techpowerup.com/319259/windows-11-24h2-instruction-requirement-affects-older-incompatible-cpus
>>You probably bypassed the original Win11 restrictions to run it on your old PC if this becomes a problem for you.

It's Wednesday and these are the news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Enshrouded hits 2 million players, and those players have over 2,600 new feature requests
https://www.pcgamer.com/enshrouded-hits-2-million-players-and-those-players-have-over-2600-new-feature-requests/
Like a storage chest that simply cannot fit another iron ingot, 2024 is creaking under the strain of so many dang survival games. And we're barely two months in! Palworld blew up in January, Nightingale is out today, Pacific Drive launches Thursday, and Sons of the Forest is on the brink of its 1.0 release later this week, too.
And then there's survival RPG Enshrouded, which glided into early access last month and quickly became a proper hit. Developer Keen Games announced today that it's still going strong: over 2 million players have taken the plunge into Enshrouded's mist-covered world, and it hasn't even been out for 30 days yet.
All those players aren't shy about making requests to the developers of the early access RPG, either: In a post on Steam today, Keen Games issued "a reminder that you can vote for one of the 2600+ player suggestions on our feedback platform."

GOG has brought three Deals of the Day that will last until Friday:

• The first one is The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie, 20% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_legend_of_heroes_trails_into_reverie
• The second one is Foundation, still in Early Access, with a 25% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/foundation
• And the third one, Age of Wonders 4, gets a 30% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/age_of_wonders_4

Steam has four new deals:

• Transport Fever 2 gets a 50% discount until the 27th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1066780/Transport_Fever_2/
• Road Redemption will be 85% off until the same 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/300380/Road_Redemption/
• Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is going to be 60% off until the 4th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1949030/Sherlock_Holmes_The_Awakened/
• And the fourth one is Merchant of the Skies, with a 40% discount until March, the 5th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1040070/Merchant_of_the_Skies/

The Humble Store has the new Indie Hits Spotlight Sale, with up to 90% deals during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/indie-hits-spotlight/.

And we have Fanatical, with a new Star Deal and two bundles added for the BundleFest:

• The new Star Deal is Ghostrunner, 77% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/ghostrunner
• The new bundles are:
  • BYO Bento Bundle 4, with 23 titles to choose from for your 3, 5 or 10 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-bento-bundle
  • And the BYO RPG Bundle, featuring 22 games for your bundle of 3, 5 or 8 titles: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-rpg-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty once again-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The new upcoming version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Brazil will no longer have stutters
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/marvels-spider-man-2-pc-brazil-no-stutters/
The modding team behind the unofficial PC port of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has done incredible things so far. However, one of my biggest gripes with it was its stuttering issues. And today, I’m happy to report that its next version, codenamed V10, will no longer have any stutters.
This is huge as it will finally allow PC gamers to explore the game’s city. We can also expect numerous visual fixes and improvements. So, things are progressing nicely I’d say. And for those wondering, yes. You can already play it from start to finish.
Here’s a video that showcases the new V10 build. As you can see, the game can now run smoothly, without any stuttering issues.

2023's GOTY becomes Baldy's Gate 3 with mod that parts Astarion's hair like Moses did the Red Sea
https://www.pcgamer.com/2023s-goty-becomes-baldys-gate-3-with-mod-that-parts-astarions-hair-like-moses-did-the-red-sea/
If life really is a simulation, and we become aware that it is, I'm looking forward to installing the mod that will stop my hair from receding. Until then the opposite is now possible for Astarion's hair in Baldur's Gate 3 thanks to a new Nexus mod from loregamer.
You can do a lot of terrible things in Baldur's Gate 3, but I think relieving the central real estate of Astarion's head of its hair is up there with brutally punting a squirrel into a rock face.
Perhaps this was meant to be. The extremely astute out there may have noticed that the word 'bald' actually appears within the name of the game. Curious don't you think? A detail that promoted one of the early great memes of the game, when a version of the cover art was posted on the subreddit in which each character was bald, and the title simply read 'Bald'. The prophecy is being fulfilled.
>> There's only one screenshot, but it's enough.

Modders are achieving justice for Persona 3's missing female protagonist in a way that's only possible on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/modders-are-achieving-justice-for-persona-3s-missing-female-protagonist-in-a-way-thats-only-possible-on-pc/
Persona 3 is a strange beast. All its best parts are scattered across a bunch of different versions: the epilogue is only available on the PS2 FES version, while the alternate female protagonist (FeMC) and all her new social links were restricted to the PSP-only Portable version of the game (so too were party members you could directly control in battle; the AI-only party members of the PS2 games were a constant headache).
All those scattered pieces made the game seem ideal for a remake that brought all its distinct parts into one cohesive package, and then Persona 3 Reload just… didn't? It didn't do that. Instead, we got controllable party members and modern graphics in what was otherwise a remake of original, non-FES Persona 3. No epilogue and no FeMC. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great game, but it feels like there are still pieces missing. That's probably why modders have decided to stop waiting for Atlus and just build those parts themselves.
Spotted by GamesRadar, an enterprising group of Persona modders on GitHub have kicked off the FeMC Reloaded Project, aimed at restoring P3P's female protag—real name Kotone Shiomi—back to her rightful place as the game's alternative (and best) main character in Persona 3 Reload.
(...)
Of course, it's still very much in its early stages, as one glance at its Trello board will tell you. The vast majority of P3R is still naturally based around the presence of the default male protagonist. Per the mod's GameBanana page, it doesn't sound like it has plans to change the game's story or restore Shiomi's social links, but hey, someone else can always take the foundation it lays down and build on it.
>> The article has an embedded tweet with a video.

GAMING NEWS

SAND LAND gets an official gameplay overview trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/sand-land-gets-an-official-gameplay-overview-trailer/
SAND LAND has released the official gameplay overview trailer for Akira Toriyama’s upcoming action RPG, SAND LAND. This trailer will detail most of the key features of this new role-playing game, so make sure to watch it.
>> Even if they hadn't mentioned it, it has so many Toriyama designs that his involvement would be obvious.

No Rest for the Wicked seems to be a cool mix between Diablo 4 and Dark Souls
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/no-rest-for-the-wicked-seems-to-be-a-cool-mix-between-diablo-4-and-dark-souls/
IGN has shared a new gameplay video for the upcoming action RPG from the creators of Ori games, No Rest for the Wicked. And, from what we can see, No Rest for the Wicked appears to be a cool mix between Diablo 4 and Dark Souls.

New 6-minute gameplay trailer for Little Devil Inside
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-6-minute-gameplay-trailer-for-little-devil-inside/
Neostream Interactive has shared a 6-minute gameplay trailer for its upcoming 3D action adventure RPG, Little Devil Inside. The game will be using a third-person perspective, and it will have elements of survival, combat, and open-world exploration. So, this trailer will give you a glimpse at those gameplay mechanics.

You can now download a demo for Contra: Operation Galuga
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/you-can-now-download-a-demo-for-contra-operation-galuga/
Konami has just released a demo for its upcoming new Contra game, Contra: Operation Galuga. Contra: Operation Galuga is a re-imagination of the classic run-‘n’-gun action game from the ‘80s. So, since this is a free demo, you should at least give it a try.

Monster Hunter Stories is coming to PC in Summer 2024
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/monster-hunter-stories-is-coming-to-pc-in-summer-2024/
Capcom has just announced that the first Monster Hunter Stories game will be officially coming to PC in Summer 2024. To celebrate this announcement, the publisher shared a gameplay trailer that you can find below.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is coming to PC on June 21st
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/shin-megami-tensei-v-vengeance-is-coming-to-pc-on-june-21st/
ATLUS has just announced that Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance will be officially coming to PC on June 21st. To celebrate this announcement, the team shared a gameplay trailer that you can find below.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Patch 1.16 fixes bugs, improves stability, reduces unintended framerate drops
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth-patch-1-16-fixes-bugs-improves-stability-reduces-unintended-framerate-drops/
Ryu Ga Gotoku just dropped a new update for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Title Update 1.16 is all about fixing bugs, making things smoother, and stopping those annoying frame rate drops with certain GPUs. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Wednesday news, part two:

A new Fallout anthology stuffed inside a mini-nuke is set to drop the day before the Fallout TV series on Amazon
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-fallout-anthology-stuffed-inside-a-mini-nuke-is-set-to-drop-the-day-before-the-fallout-tv-series-on-amazon/
If you're a big Fallout fan, or a big PC game collector, Bethesda's new Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology might be worth a moment of your time. It's a collection of every mainline Fallout game ever released, stuffed inside an alarmingly lifelike Fat Man mini-nuke.
The new package is essentially a repeat of the Fallout Anthology Bethesda released in 2015, with a couple of differences. For one, it includes Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, neither of which existed when the first anthology was released (although it contained an extra space for Fallout 4, since it dropped just ahead of that game's release).
The bigger difference is that while the original anthology included games on disc, this one does not. Instead, the mini-nuke is packed with seven Fallout 76-style "perk cards," each one printed with a Steam key for one of the games in the collection.

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader gets a 'gargantuan' patch that makes over 1,800 changes to the game, in an overhaul so drastic it gives you a free shot at respeccing your party
https://www.pcgamer.com/warhammer-40k-rogue-trader-gets-a-gargantuan-patch-that-makes-over-1800-changes-to-the-game-in-an-overhaul-so-drastic-it-gives-you-a-free-shot-at-respeccing-your-party/
I was excited about Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader when I previewed it in 2022, but the final product left a lot to be desired, according to Jody's review. The game's sweeping sci-fi drama was undermined by tedious combat in which "there's never one interesting tactical battle when there could be three samey ones to grind down your resources," he lamented, while the experience was further hobbled by an infestation of bugs.
Yet Jody notes in that same review, "if you played Owlcat's previous RPGs at launch, you'll be familiar with the feeling you're playing the worst version of the game" and "it's not impossible that Rogue Trader could get a significant overhaul." Well, that overhaul has just arrived. Yesterday, Owlcat issued the mother of all patches. In fact, it's less of a patch and more a whole new pair of trousers, an overhaul so extensive that the developers have added a special item into the game that lets you respec your characters.

Dead by Daylight's next killer is 'an evil so heinous that investigating it almost immediately invites death'
https://www.pcgamer.com/dead-by-daylights-new-killer-is-an-evil-so-heinous-that-investigating-it-almost-immediately-invites-death/
The identity of the next Dead by Daylight killer is now known, but also not known: It's The Unknown, "an evil so heinous that investigating it almost immediately invites death."
The unfathomable new killer is coming to Dead by Daylight on March 12 in All Things Wicked, the next chapter of the popular asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, but can be previewed from now through Monday in a test build on Steam.

Game devs commiserate with the Helldivers 2 team by sharing their own server launch horror stories: 'You can only attempt to prepare for scale'
https://www.pcgamer.com/game-devs-commiserate-with-the-helldivers-2-team-by-sharing-their-own-server-launch-horror-stories-you-can-only-attempt-to-prepare-for-scale/
Helldivers 2 is one of my favourite games of the year so far. I also barely get to play it at the moment, thanks to a payload of server problems that've knocked its Steam user review average down to "Mixed."
(...)
Like rugged veterans trading war stories in a smoky bar, other developers responded to Pilestedt's exasperation with their own brutal game launch experiences. One particular quote tweet shone a bright, glaring light on how chaotic a game launch can be—written by Christina Pollock, a writer and game developer who worked on Dauntless, a Monster Hunter-esque game that launched out of its beta phase and into crossplay in 2019.

Helldivers 2 patch 'tunes' those civilian extract missions that were murdering everyone as Arrowhead continues to manage login queues
https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-patch-notes-civilian-extract-quickplay-black-screen/
Last week, Helldivers 2's simulated galactic war saw its first narrativized twist when the Automaton menace launched a surprise attack on the Xzar system. The event unlocked new planets and civilian extraction missions which proved so difficult that even experienced players couldn't complete them. This led many to assume the abnormal difficulty spike was either a bug or an intentional tipping of scales in the robots' favor by Arrowhead Games to challenge Super Earth's liberation streak.
Both scenarios are still on the table, but the latest Helldivers 2 patch, version 1.000.10, might bring relief: Arrowhead has "tuned" the difficulty of civilian extraction missions. Version 1.000.10 comes only a few days after the release of 1.000.009, which reduced the difficulty of the "defend event." I managed to log in long enough to test out the patch and confirm the civilian extraction mission that gave our group trouble just a few days ago is now a cakewalk at lower difficulties.

Sony isn't happy with Bungie: PlayStation boss wants more 'accountability' from the studio on money and deadlines
https://www.pcgamer.com/sony-isnt-happy-with-bungie-playstation-boss-wants-more-accountability-from-the-studio-on-money-and-deadlines/
In a Q&A session with analysts following Sony's most recent financial report, PlayStation chairman Hiroki Totoki praised the creativity of Destiny 2 studio Bungie, but also said he wants to see more "accountability" for development budgets and schedules from the studio's leadership.
>> Bungie may be regreting being bought by Sony (or anyone else, to be fair).

Minecraft just launched add-ons, which are mods, not to be confused with the previous add-ons that were also mods, and won't replace mods for Minecraft Java
https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-just-launched-add-ons-which-are-mods-not-to-be-confused-with-the-previous-add-ons-that-were-also-mods-and-wont-replace-mods-for-minecraft-java/
It's no secret that Minecraft's enduring success has been in part thanks to the dedication of its modding community. All this time though, mods have largely been the territory of Minecraft Java, the version of the game available only on PC. As of today, the cross-platform version Minecraft Bedrock has launched "add-ons" through its in-game marketplace which, yes, are essentially also mods, free and paid.
If you're doing a double-take because you thought Minecraft already had "add-ons," you're not wrong. That's how it had been referring to community-made additions for Bedrock already. It seems the term is now being reserved for add-ons which can be added to existing worlds, and which can be combined or removed at will, rather than being tied to a world pre-made for the mod in the way of past Bedrock add-ons. This isn't the first time that Minecraft nomenclature has been confusing—looking at you, Minecraft for Windows (Bedrock).
"Add-ons let you add new blocks, mobs, items, recipes, and other content to both your existing worlds and new ones," Mojang says in today's announcement, so they're pretty similar to some of the things Minecraft Java mods have been doing for years. They can also be used in multiplayer Minecraft Realms.

6 years after it closed for good, a free-to-play hero shooter is making a comeback as a paid game with 'zero microtransactions'
https://www.pcgamer.com/6-years-after-it-closed-for-good-a-free-to-play-hero-shooter-is-making-a-comeback-as-a-paid-game-with-zero-microtransactions/
The MOBA-hero shooter Gigantic made a good impression when we first checked it out in 2014, but it didn't catch fire with fans, and in 2018 it closed its doors for good. But following a surprise "limited time throwback event" in October 2023, Gearbox has now announced that it's coming back for real as Gigantic: Rampage Edition, with a closed beta set to kick off in just a couple days.

Finally, a game that lets me time travel to medieval Europe with an AK-47 and a pickup truck
https://www.pcgamer.com/finally-a-game-that-lets-me-time-travel-to-medieval-europe-with-an-ak-47-and-a-pickup-truck/
When I clicked on the trailer for Kingmakers, a new "action/strategy sandbox" game from Redemption Road Games, I was mildly interested by the thousands of simulated soldiers duking it out in an open field Mount and Blade-style. There really aren't enough medieval combat games out there, and Kingmakers looked like a promising one.
Then at around the 24-second mark, Kingmakers shows its real hand. You don't play as any typical 14th century knight. You're in fact a, well…you really should just watch it for yourself. Meet back here in 113 seconds.

DPS heroes rule Overwatch 2 now, but Blizzard isn't ready to nerf their controversial new ability quite yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-2-season-9-patch/
Play a single match of Overwatch 2's newest season and you'll know immediately just how powerful DPS are now. Their new role passive reduces the healing their targets receive, which has had a huge impact on how a typical Overwatch team fight plays out. Support and tanks get shredded and the game's meta has started to bend in favor of the fastest heroes, like Lucio and Winston.
In the next patch, coming tomorrow, Blizzard won't be nerfing the DPS role passive, which reduces healing on targets by 20% for two seconds, despite how contentious it is in the community. "I think we need more time for players to really adjust and feel it out, and understand how to play with it and how to play around it," lead hero designer Alec Dawson said on a stream with Overwatch streamer ML7 today.

Wednesday news, the third part:

Patch 6 of Baldur's Gate 3 opens a Pandora's box of glitches for some players, while a hotfix leaves modders scratching their heads: 'the .exe got completely reorganised again'
https://www.pcgamer.com/patch-6-of-baldurs-gate-3-opens-a-pandoras-box-of-glitches-for-some-players-while-a-hotfix-leaves-modders-scratching-their-heads-the-exe-got-completely-reorganised-again/
Patch 6 of Baldur's Gate 3 released last week. While it's brought a host of intended improvements to smooching, shop interfaces, and character animations, everything seems to be a smidge on fire—with players reporting bugs, crashes, and glitches like mimics coming out of the woodwork.
Larian's been quick to start hotfixing these issues—including a duo of crashes that would kill the game when interacting with vendors—but community-gathered lists of bugs on the game's subreddit, official forums, and a Google document all seem extensive.

Temtem: Swarm is a mashup of Pokémon and Vampire Survivors in which you blast cute critters by the hundred, if you're looking for a post-Palworld slaughterfest
https://www.pcgamer.com/temtem-swarm-is-a-mashup-of-pokemon-and-vampire-survivors-in-which-you-blast-cute-critters-by-the-hundred-if-youre-looking-for-a-post-palworld-slaughterfest/
It seems Palworld has triggered a reckoning for cute video game animals. Mere weeks after Pocketpair's survival sim saw stratospheric success by letting players murder and enslave legally distinct Pokémon knockoffs, the creators of creature-battling MMO Temtem have decided they've had enough of all that collecting and training nonsense. Instead, they'll let players unleash unbridled wrath on its adorable menagerie of creatures in the "bullet heaven" spinoff Temtem Swarm.

Sony engineers are being drafted into the Helldivers 2 server war effort, though Arrowhead's CEO says to 'get it later' if you're strapped for cash
https://www.pcgamer.com/sony-engineers-are-being-drafted-into-the-helldivers-2-server-war-effort-though-arrowheads-ceo-says-to-get-it-later-if-youre-strapped-for-cash/
Helldivers 2 is making milestones in the war against server load. While its latest patch was just to prepare for its unexpected playerbase, I can at least personally report that my quickplay and public games issues have been fixed—no more trawling the Discord for fellow soldiers to deploy with.
(...)
To one player mourning an empty wallet in the face of players' rave reviews, Pilestedt replied: "If you have no cash, get it later. While we made a really fun game it's worth waiting until the servers can support the capacity … As a CEO I of course want the game to be as profitable as possible, but if you spent your last $ and got stuck in server queues I'd be [heartbroken]."
In a separate comment, he confirms that Sony has been sending engineers to help with the back-end. However: "It takes time away from our engineers to onboard new ones" says Pilestedt—which tracks. Online games are complex beasts, each holding their own unique server infrastructure with its own quirks.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's reveal trailer is finally here, release date set for June
https://www.pcgamer.com/elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtrees-reveal-trailer-is-finally-here-release-date-set-for-june/
There are those among us who doubted, but friends, the prophesied day has come. Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC finally got its official reveal today, in the form of a three-minute YouTube presentation that went live just moments ago.

Tekken 8's unexpected introduction of paid cosmetics is splitting fans, while producer says players should 'update their thinking to the current environment of game development'
https://www.pcgamer.com/tekken-8s-unexpected-introduction-of-paid-cosmetics-is-splitting-fans-while-producer-says-players-should-update-their-thinking-to-the-current-environment-of-game-development/
After a few weeks of a quiet microtransaction-less existence, Bandai Namco has revealed that a cash shop is in the works for Tekken 8. It'll sell things like classic character costumes, avatar skins and single-use cosmetic items, and the whole thing has fans' opinions pretty split right now.

FSR 3 and XeSS now available in Starfield, bringing upscaling and frame gen boosts to all space farers
https://www.pcgamer.com/fsr-3-and-xess-now-available-in-starfield-bringing-upscaling-and-frame-gen-boosts-to-all-space-farers/
Bethesda's space RPG Starfield didn't have a stellar launch when it came to performance, with the mightiest of gaming rigs struggling to reach decent frame rates. The modding community got there first but eventually, Nvidia's DLSS 3 was added and now after several months of beta patches, Starfield also boasts AMD's FSR 3 and Intel's XeSS frame rate boosting technologies.

I found these news that I found interesting, so you can read them or skip them, I don't care

There are increased reports of crashing in Unreal Engine games, etc. and Epic is blaming Intel chips
https://www.pcgamer.com/there-are-increased-reports-of-crashing-in-unreal-engine-games-etc-and-epic-is-blaming-intel-chips/
A division of Epic Games is pointing the finger at Intel's latest CPUs when it comes to an increasing number of reported Unreal Engine game crashes. Modern top-end CPUs are jammed full of cores, all running at high speeds, and it takes a lot of energy to keep them running like this. That's particularly true for Intel's most recent Core i9 processors, which are some of the most power-hungry chips around. And to eke out even more performance, motherboard vendors often use BIOS settings that push things even further.
All of this seems to be the culprit in the increased reports of game and app crashes, especially those that are built in Unreal Engine, and the only solution is to delve into those settings to calm the beast down a notch.
That's according to RAD, a division of Epic Games, which develops the Bink video codec and Oodle data compression tech used in hundreds of games on the market. It points the finger directly at Intel, too: "We believe that this is a hardware problem which affects primarily Intel 13900K and 14900K processors, less likely 13700, 14700 and other related processors as well."

Cooler Master Sues SilverStone, Enermax, and their OEM for AIO CLC Patent Infringement
https://www.techpowerup.com/319350/cooler-master-sues-silverstone-enermax-and-their-oem-for-aio-clc-patent-infringement
Cooler Master has sued SilverStone, Enermax, and their common OEM, the Guangdong China-based Apaltek, for patent infringement of designs of their all-in-one, closed-loop liquid CPU coolers. The company has moved the United States District Court in the Central District of California, against the three companies for alleged IP violation in the design of its AIO CLCs. Cooler Master alleges that the three companies violate U.S. Patent numbers 10,509,446; 11,061,450; and D856,941 held by it. The infringing products referenced in the Lawsuit are SilverStone IceMyst 240, PF240, PF240W, IceGem 360, VIDA 240 Slim, and RGB Controller, and the Enermax Aquafusion ADV, Liqmax III ARGB, Liqtech 360 TR4 II Slim, and RGB Controller. Apaltek doesn't have any products in the retail channel under its own brand, but is being sued as the original technology supplier for SilverStone and Enermax.

In the weirdest pitch for a buddy movie this year Samsung and LG are getting together to stop China taking over the OLED panel market
https://www.pcgamer.com/in-the-weirdest-pitch-for-a-buddy-movie-this-year-samsung-and-lg-are-getting-together-to-stop-china-taking-over-the-oled-panel-market/
The UK's venerable financial pink paper, the Financial Times, reckons that Samsung and LG have decided to stop fighting each other for OLED display dominance and work together. The reason for this unlikely outbreak of fraternal cooperation? The looming threat from China.
Exactly what this all means for OLED panels in PC monitors is complicated. Hold that thought for a moment. The FT points out [paywall] that China is already well on the way to forcing Samsung and LG out of the LCD display market. Apparently, Samsung closed its last LCD panel factory in China in 2021 while LG is said to be looking to sell its last LCD plant in the China.
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For now, South Korea remains dominant in OLED manufacture, but the trend lines are obvious enough. In 2018, China had but a mere few percentage points of the market with the rest almost all owned by South Korea. By the first half of 2023, it had nearly 25% market share, that growth coming entirely at the expense of South Korea. Going by the current trend, you'd expect China to be the dominant player in OLED in about five years.

If LG and Samsung are cautious of China and their capacity for delivering OLED displays that bodes well for us. The more competition, the better. LCD monitors have gotten really good lately with great value, across many price ranges. And it seems like LG and Samsung are being squeezed out somewhat there. Would be great to see that within a couple years with OLED's. And the big manufacturers have to step up their game to be competitive.