What's more, would that tip actually arrive in the pockets of the actual devs or just feed the shareholders more unearned money? I'm 99.999999% sure it's the latter and the devs would maybe see 10% of those "tips".

You're just making a generous donation so investors and shareholders might partake in a little bit of your enthusiasm. You know, a pat-in-the-back kind of deal.

These are the Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Fallout 76 hits an all-time player count record on Steam following the Fallout TV series on Amazon, and the other games are spiking too
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fallout-76-hits-an-all-time-player-count-record-on-steam-following-the-fallout-tv-series-on-amazon-and-the-other-games-are-spiking-too/
People like the Fallout TV series on Amazon an awful lot—we called it "the best Fallout since New Vegas"—and that seems to be having quite the spillover effect for the Fallout videogames. All of the games in the long-running post-nuclear RPG series have seen a significant jump in players, and they've also muscled their way into Steam's top-selling games chart.
SteamDB noted on Twitter (via Eurogamer) that "Fallout has more than doubled its concurrent players on Steam with the release of the Fallout TV series."
Fallout 4 is the biggest beneficiary, spiking up to more than 83,000 concurrent players over the weekend, compared to a high of 24,000 the weekend before, a few days ahead of Amazon's Fallout launch. Fallout 76 arguably set an even more impressive mark by surpassing 39,000 concurrent players on the weekend following the TV series release, a new all-time high on Steam for the four-year-old game. Fallout 3—my favorite of the Bethesda Fallouts, and I make no apologies for it—also saw a huge bounce, going from roughly 1,000 concurrents on April 7 to 6,700 a week later.
>> The article notes that Fallout 76 greatly benefited from the free weekend.

Content Warning has hit 1 million copies sold, which hopefully means we'll get some more Old World locations soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/content-warning-has-hit-1-million-copies-sold-which-hopefully-means-well-get-some-more-old-world-locations-soon/
The co-op horror game Content Warning made a pretty big impression when it was released around a month ago. Landfall decided to make it free to download for the first 24 hours only, which brought in around 6.6 million users who then spent a great deal of time trying to film viral videos in the spooky Old World. 
Content Warning has already reached a couple of pretty impressive milestones, as it sold over 700,000 copies in just under two weeks and drew in more than 204,000 concurrent users on just its first day of release. But now, two weeks after first releasing, the co-op horror game has managed to sell over 1 million copies. 
Landfall celebrated the achievement in a short tweet: "Bring out the party poopers! Content Warning has now sold 1M copies on top of the 6.6M players that got the game for free! Thank you all so much for liking our scary lill game."

Steam has new deals, sales and, of course, weeklong deals:

• Publisher Freedom Games puts its games up to 90% off until the 22nd of April: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/freedomgames2024
• The Early Access title Shadows of Doubt gets a 25% discount until the 24th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/Shadows_of_Doubt/
• The London Games Festival will run until April, 25th, with new games you may not have heard of yet: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/londongamesfest2024
• Siege Survival: Gloria Victis is going to be 84% off until the 26th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167140/Siege_Survival_Gloria_Victis/
• Blasphemous, that has a demo, can be yours with a 75% discount until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/774361/Blasphemous/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • A Dance of Fire and Ice is 15% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/977950/A_Dance_of_Fire_and_Ice/
  • JellyCar Worlds gets a 35% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1740930/JellyCar_Worlds/
  • Clue/Cluedo will be 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2506480/ClueCluedo/
  • Anodyne 2: Return to Dust features a 60% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/877810/Anodyne_2_Return_to_Dust/
  • Arietta of Spirits features a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1140170/Arietta_of_Spirits/
  • And the last one, Vaporum, 85% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/629690/Vaporum/

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• Thanks to the Jackbox Games Publisher Sale we can get their games up to 60% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/jackbox-spotlight-sale/
• Ubisoft’s Build your Strategy Sale features up to 75% discounts during 6 days. Most keys are for UbiPlay, except one that’s for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/ubisoft-build-your-strategy-sale/

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal and bundle:

• The Star Deal is RimWorld, with a 30% deal during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rimworld
• The Diamond Collection BYOB for April is now live, featuring 17 titles to choose from for your 3, 4 or 5 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/diamond-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 552.22 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-552-22
Highlights
Game Ready for Manor Lords
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS technology including Manor Lords which features support for DLSS Super Resolution. Further support for new titles includes the launch of No Rest for the Wicked

Fixed Issues
Fixed Gaming Bugs

• PUBG: Game stability issues over extended gameplay on Intel 12th Gen platforms [4030936]

Fixed General Bugs

• GeForce GTX 10/RTX 20 series: PC may randomly freeze when Windows HardwareAccelerated GPU Scheduling and NVIDIA SLI are both enabled [4009884]
• HTC Vive Pro 2: System crash with bugcheck after enabling VR HMD with multidisplays [4119187]

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Mod adds voices to all NPCs on the mainland
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-the-elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind-mod-adds-voices-to-all-npcs-on-the-mainland/
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind fans, here is something for you today. Modder ‘Cepko’ has released a new mod for this classic TES game that adds voices to all NPCs on the mainland.
Do note that this mod will require the Tamriel Rebuilt Mod. Tamriel Rebuilt is a fan project working to build the mainland of Morrowind Province in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, while preserving the original game’s creative vision and direction. Plus, the mod is based on Kezyma’s Voices of Vvardenfell Mod (which you’ll also need).
Since all the NPCs on the mainland will now have voices, you will no longer have to read their dialogue windows. This is an amazing QoL improvement for Morrowind. This is also a mod that showcases how AI can greatly improve older titles. After all, Kezyma’s Voices of Vvardenfell Mod uses ElevenAI and MWS.
>> The article had a video that the mod’s author has deleted.

This Starfield Mod Adds 50 New Space Encounters
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-starfield-mod-adds-50-new-space-encounters/
Modder ‘kaosnyrb’ has released a new cool mod for Starfield that adds to it around 50 new space encounters. As such, the game will now feel more varied and dynamic when traveling in space.
As the modder noted, Dark Universe – Crossfire will massively increase the amount of space POI’s, adding more variety to space gameplay. The new POI’s are focused around skirmishes between factions.
The mod also adds new encounter types. Right now, Dark Universe – Crossfire adds eleven of them. These are Piracy Boarding, Faction Skirmish, Faction Skirmish, Tides Turning, Faction Stronghold, Lone Ship, Ship Under Fire, Lost Unmarked Shipment, Trade Vessel Mayday, Stranded Ship and Boss Fight.
>> The article has a video that works and it’s a bit over 4 minutes long.

The Witcher 3 REDkit Modding Tools Playtest Announced
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-3-redkit-modding-tool-playtest-announced/
CD Projekt RED has announced that modders are now able to sign up for the Playtest of the REDkit Modding Tools for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. These modding tools will offer you the freedom to edit almost anything in the game.
The Witcher 3 REDkit is a comprehensive modding tool for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It is based on the same set of tools that were used by the devs to create the game and should allow for nearly limitless freedom in modding it.
For instance, PC modders will be able to create new assets, scripts, quests, animations and more. So, in theory, modders will be able to create total conversions and DLC-sized fan expansion mods.
>> As you may have guessed, there’s no media for this mod.

GAMING NEWS

Frostpunk 2 PC Beta Requirements Revealed, Gameplay Deep Dive Trailer Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/frostpunk-2-pc-beta-requirements-revealed-gameplay-deep-dive-trailer-released/
11 bit studios has launched the beta phase for Frostpunk 2, and revealed its PC system requirements. In addition, the team shared a gameplay deep dive trailer that you can find below.

Black Mesa Necro Patch Released, Improving Performance, UI, Controller Support & Stability
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/black-mesa-necro-patch-released-improving-performance-ui-controller-support-stability/
Crowbar Collective has released the Necro Patch for its amazing Half-Life Remake, Black Mesa. According to the team, this update improves the game’s performance, UI, controller support and overall stability.

SAND LAND just got an official “Darude – Sandstorm” trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/sand-land-just-got-a-darude-sandstorm-trailer/
Call me surprised. Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for its upcoming action RPG, SAND LAND, featuring Darude’s iconic dance/trance track, Sandstorm. And, since this Sandstorm we’re talking about, I had to share it with you.

The second, and also last, part of the Tuesday news:

Nixxes is 'sort of waiting for FSR 3.1' before adding AMD's frame generation to Horizon Forbidden West because it wants 'the latest and greatest before integrating it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/nixxes-is-sort-of-waiting-for-fsr-31-before-adding-amds-frame-generation-to-horizon-forbidden-west-because-it-wants-the-latest-and-greatest-before-integrating-it/
The PC version of Horizon Forbidden West has been generally very well received, even if opinions of the original game are varied. That's because it's got the full gamut of upscalers on offer (DLSS, FSR, and XeSS), along with ultrawide monitor support, and even includes the use of DirectStorage. However, when it comes to frame generation, AMD's system was notable by its absence. In a chat with its senior director and principle programmers, Nixxes explained to me why it won't appear until a later patch—it's waiting for AMD to release the next update of FSR.

Overwatch 2's season 10 launch makes it even more MOBA than FPS
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2s-season-10-launch-makes-it-even-more-moba-than-fps/
Overwatch 2's next season, which starts tomorrow, will kick off with not just a new DPS hero, but a two-week-long trial run of its newest game mode, Clash, which feels designed for constant, MOBA-style combat.
>> That tomorrow is meant to be today.

One of Elden Ring's nastiest bosses still has an invisible tail left over from the Dark Souls freak whose assets he's built on
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/one-of-elden-rings-nastiest-bosses-still-has-an-invisible-tail-left-over-from-the-dark-souls-freak-whose-assets-hes-built-on/
(...)
One category of miscellanies, however, is not down to the authorial intention of FromSoftware but the dedicated efforts of dataminers who, drunk on the power of having stripped-down many previous Soulsborne games, have discovered some astonishing details buried away in the game's code. A great recent example of this was the discovery of unused underground areas, tied to a planned 'Cataclysm' system (never implemented) which would have seen the map change as you play.
This new revelation isn't on quite that scale but, for those who've been around since the original Dark Souls, it's a neat and unexpected hangover from earlier games. It's also yet another example of how well FromSoftware re-uses assets in different ways over time across the studio's different games. The discovery comes from Souls veteran and dataminer Zullie The Witch, who has a new video (below) looking at the starkly-named Omenkiller boss.

Skybound is making an Invincible game and it wants people to invest in the company to help make it happen
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/skybound-is-making-an-invincible-game-and-it-wants-people-to-invest-in-the-company-to-help-make-it-happen/
Skybound Entertainment has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to support the development of a new videogame based on the hugely popular Invincible comic and animated TV series. This isn't a Kickstarter-style campaign, though, but an investment into Skybound itself, being run through the Republic investment platform.

Ubisoft responds as Star Wars Outlaws comes under fire for Jabba the Hutt season pass exclusive
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/ubisoft-responds-as-star-wars-outlaws-comes-under-fire-for-jabba-the-hutt-season-pass-exclusive/
Star Wars Outlaws prompted a collective sigh last week when it was revealed that the single player, open world adventure will have a season pass in addition to the nowadays common "play the game early" incentive attached to pricey special editions. For an extra $40 with the Gold Edition—for a total of $110—the season pass gets you two post-launch expansions, some cosmetics, and an exclusive day one mission called Jabba's Gambit. 
The latter bonus triggered widespread fuming, as it was possible to jump to the conclusion—based on some perhaps ambiguous wording—that this mission was the one and only Jabba the Hutt mission in the game. (...)
But it's definitely not the only Jabba the Hutt mission in the game, according to Ubisoft. 

Helldivers 2 CEO says a transmog system is out of the question, 'Swapping one for the other is like having an apple that tastes like bacon'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-ceo-says-a-transmog-system-is-out-of-the-question-swapping-one-for-the-other-is-like-having-an-apple-that-tastes-like-bacon/
It looks like changing the look of your armour to suit your cosmetic needs is out of the question in Helldivers 2, as the CEO of Arrowhead, Johan Pilestedt, has confirmed that transmogrification isn't on the table. 
"We are not doing transmog," Pilestedt explains in reply to one fan's suggestion. "It doesn't make sense—equipment looks different because it has different effects. Swapping one for the other is like having an apple that tastes like bacon or the other way around."
>> And don’t get too excited about datamined content. Not all of it will come to the game.

Helldivers 2 patch fixes PS5 hosts accidentally giving damage boosts to their fellow patriots, continues to tackle crashes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-patch-fixes-ps5-hosts-accidentally-giving-damage-boosts-to-their-fellow-patriots-continues-to-tackle-crashes/
The patriots at Arrowhead Games R&D have been busy working on Helldivers 2 fixes—the latest batch of which just dropped this morning. A bizarre quirk of the game engine that was giving PS5 players (and their squadmates) an unfair advantage has been nixed, restoring weapons-grade equality between the platforms.

Fortnite executive says its user creation monetisation is strictly '18-plus' but 'in regions where it is permissible, yes we should lower that age'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/fortnite-executive-says-its-user-creation-monetisation-is-strictly-18-plus-but-in-regions-where-it-is-permissible-yes-we-should-lower-that-age/
Epic Games has weighed in on the whole underage kids creating user-generated content debacle that saw a Roblox executive in the firing line earlier this month.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Saxs Persson—executive vice president of Epic and overseer on features like Fortnite Creators, Lego Fortnite and Unreal Editor For Fortnite—strictly maintained that its own policy on creations was "18-plus" because it's "professional labour."
However, it doesn't mean that the company seems entirely averse to bringing that age down. "Well, in regions where it is permissible, yes we should lower that age," Persson said regarding monetising creations for minors. "But we started at something that is like, unilaterally: this is professional labour. People have signed up for professional payments."
>> Please note the use of “should” instead of “could”. Scumbags.

Blizzard obliterates an orb from WoW Classic: Season of Discovery's 3rd phase for causing problems, leaves a terrifying class of Crusader-enchanted players in its wake
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/blizzard-obliterates-an-orb-from-wow-classic-season-of-discoverys-3rd-phase-for-causing-problems-leaves-a-terrifying-class-of-crusader-enchanted-players-in-its-wake/
World of Warcraft: Classic's Season of Discovery has been a success so far, outperforming most of Blizzard's metrics—but its experimental nature has also caused no shortage of problems. Most recently, those problems have surrounded an unassuming orb.

PS5 Pro Enhanced Label Reportedly Won’t Require 60fps, “Ultra Boost” to Benefit Most Games

https://wccftech.com/ps5-pro-enhanced-label-60fps-not-required-ultra-boost-benefits-most-games/

NVIDIA Working With Partners To Create New SFF Gaming PC Ecosystem Powered By “SFF Enthusiast GeForce” GPUs

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-partners-create-new-sff-gaming-pc-ecosystem-powered-sff-enthusiast-geforce-gpus/

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT now available for $689, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER drops to $749

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-7900-xt-now-available-for-689-geforce-rtx-4070-ti-super-drops-to-749

Microcenter Offering Just $700 US “Trade-In” Value For $2000 US GeForce RTX 4090 GPU

https://wccftech.com/microcenter-offering-just-700-usd-trade-in-value-for-2000-usd-geforce-rtx-4090-gpu/

AMD & Vindral Demo 8K 10-bit HDR Live Streaming With Ultra-Low Latency

https://wccftech.com/amd-vindral-demo-8k-10-bit-hdr-live-streaming-with-ultra-low-latency/

I don't get Nvidia's decision to get involved in the SFF market. They're not needed and are only doing it for marketing reasons and to try to make their cards seen as the only option, which is a dick move (but admittetdly, not the first time team green has done something similar).

And I also wonder what they mean by Enthusiast Geforce GPUs, because unless the 4070/5070 now counts as enthusiast products (which imho they do given their price), most cases big enough to fit a 4080/4090 with their giant coolers have room enough to fit off the shelves parts with ease, with only the CPU cooler causing some troubles.

The news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has two new DotD and four new sales:

• These are the Deals of the Day, available during 46 hours:
  • The first one is RoboCop: Rogue City, with a 40% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/robocop_rogue_city
  • The second one is SteamWorld Heist, 83% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/steamworld_heist
• The new Weekly Sale features up to 90% discounts during 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240416_weekly_deals_4_april
• The Action Sale has games up to 90% off during the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240417_action_sale
• The Klabater Publisher Sale features up to 95% discounts for the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240417_klabater_publisher_sale
• And the last one, the Good Old Games Sale, has classic games up to 90% off during 14 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240417_good_old_games_sale

Steam has two new deals:

• HUMANITY, that has a demo, is going to be 40% off until April, 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581480/HUMANITY/
• Planet of Lana will have a 35% discount until the 30th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1608230/Planet_of_Lana/

Fanatical has a new Star Deal: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be 84% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Dark Souls Remastered Now Has a New Texture Overhaul Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dark-souls-remastered-now-has-a-new-texture-overhaul-mod/
Modder ‘fromsoftserve’ has released a new HD Texture Pack for Dark Souls Remastered. This pack upgrades almost every texture in the game with a higher resolution version.
The modder has used AI tools in order to upscale the original textures. Moreover, he used the Prepare to Die Edition textures as the base when necessary. As fromsoftserve noted, many of the Dark Souls Remastered textures were washed out. So, by using the textures found in the Prepare to Die Edition, the game will now be more colorful and detailed.
>> The article has some screenshots.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim just got a new DLC-sized expansion mod with a fully scripted/voiced storyline
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-just-got-a-new-dlc-sized-expansion-mod-with-a-fully-scripted-voiced-storyline/
Modder ‘Cryptdick’ has just released a new DLC-sized expansion mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, called The Tempest Isle. This mod packs a fully scripted/voiced main storyline arc with multiple quests and interesting characters.
According to the modder, the mod was built to feel like a true Skyrim expansion. It’s also said to be highly immersive and lore-accurate. Moreover, it has hand-sculpted worldspace and various dungeons to explore and loot. Players can also expect to find new items, spells, enemy variants, environment objects, and more. So, this is pretty much a full free DLC. It will most likely be rough around the edges, but it’s cool nonetheless. At least in my opinion.
>> You’ll find an over 2 minutes trailer of the mod in the article.

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is free to play until April 30th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-mirage-is-free-to-play-until-april-30th/
Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is free to play until April 30th for all players. This means that for two whole weeks, this latest AC game will be playable for free. And, to celebrate this announcement, the French company shared a new trailer for it.

Ghost of Tsushima Official PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/ghost-of-tsushima-official-pc-requirements/
Sony has just revealed the official PC system requirements for Ghost of Tsushima. As we’ve reported, the team that will handle this PC port is Nixxes and the team has confirmed that the game will support both AMD FSR 3.0 and NVIDIA DLSS 3 at launch.
>> The reveal also shoes that the game will have a Playstation overlay to get trophies, besides the Steam/Epic achievements.

Bohemia’s console exclusive, Vigor, is coming soon to PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/bohemias-console-exclusive-vigor-is-coming-soon-to-pc/
Vigor is a free-to-play online survival shooter that initially came out on Xbox One, and was then ported to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. However, and although Bohemia is a pro-PC developer, this F2P shooter never found its way on PC. Well, that’s about to change as the devs have officially revealed that the game will soon come out on Steam Early Access.

The news, part two. A bit longer than usual, but it's also the last one:

The PC Gaming Show returns June 9 to celebrate its 10-year anniversary and the most exciting new PC games
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-pc-gaming-show-2024-announcement/
The weather is warming and the snow is melting, which can only mean one thing: It's nearly Game Announcement Season and almost time for the best showcase of them all, the PC Gaming Show, which will return June 9 at 1 pm Pacific (4 pm ET/9 pm BST).

After community suspicion, Palworld finally fixes an issue that held your Pals back from achieving their full potential
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/after-community-suspicion-palworld-finally-fixes-an-issue-that-held-your-pals-back-from-achieving-their-full-potential/
Pocketpair has just released patch notes for Palworld's next update, and while they aren't very hefty, there is one big change to a bug that had the community questioning whether their Pals were really fighting to the best of their ability. 

WoW's Plunderstorm event just had its rep grind cut in half until April 30—which is great news for everyone, except our online editor who just spent 2 days on it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wows-plunderstorm-event-just-had-its-rep-grind-cut-in-half-until-april-30which-is-great-news-for-everyone-except-our-online-editor-who-just-spent-2-days-on-it/
World of Warcraft's limited-time event, Plunderstorm, is nearly over—but there's going to be one last chance to swipe your bag of pirate-themed swag from its many reputation rewards. Once this week's maintenance is complete (around 4 pm UTC April 16 for US servers, 4 am UTC April 17 for EU servers), all reputation gains will be doubled until the event wraps up April 30.

Final Fantasy 14's graphical update has committed the cardinal sin of messing with lalafell teeth, making them more terrifying than ever
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/final-fantasy-14s-graphical-update-has-committed-the-cardinal-sin-of-messing-with-lalafell-teeth-making-them-more-terrifying-than-ever/
The lalafell. Eorzea's potato. A whole mountain of evil condensed into one tiny gnome-like overlord. Consider: a mouth that opens as if its jaw was unhinged, revealing nothing more than a top row of teeth gracing an endless void.
Well, at least that's the way lalafell physiology has worked in Final Fantasy 14 since its inception, but things are changing—upcoming expansion Dawntrail is being accompanied by a graphical facelift, and that means some of the ageing character models are getting updated. While we wait for it, the recently released benchmark has given fans a pretty decent insight into what we can expect.

Hasbro wants to make another Baldur's Gate sequel but it's early days yet: 'We certainly hope that it's not another 25 years'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/hasbro-wants-to-make-another-baldurs-gate-sequel-but-its-early-days-yet-we-certainly-hope-that-its-not-another-25-years/
Last month, Larian announced that it's going to "move away from D&D", and suddenly the future of Baldur's Gate seemed a lot murkier. The smash success of Baldur's Gate 3 has firmly revived the classic RPG series, but without Larian to continue to shepherd it, what can we actually expect from any possible sequels or spin-offs?
It's a question Hasbro, owner of Wizards of the Coast and by extension D&D, is in the process of figuring out an answer to. Following yet more success for Baldur's Gate 3 at the BAFTA awards, I talked to Eugene Evans, senior vice president of Digital Strategy and Licensing for Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, about where the series goes from here. The good news is, a sequel is very much on the cards—but the company is still exploring its options when it comes to what that looks like and what developer might get to create it, and it could still be a long way off. 

Borderlands 3 community scores a big win for science: 'These players have helped trace the evolutionary relationships of more than a million different kinds of bacteria that live in the human gut'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-3-community-scores-a-big-win-for-science-these-players-have-helped-trace-the-evolutionary-relationships-of-more-than-a-million-different-kinds-of-bacteria-that-live-in-the-human-gut/
When Borderlands Science was announced back in 2020 I thought it all sounded a little silly. Science? In my Borderlands? It struck me as a lot less likely than Dr. Mayim Bialik seemed to think. But it turns out that I was the silly one all along, because McGill University, the institution leading the project, says the project was in fact a massive success that will "substantially advance our knowledge of the microbiome and improve on the AI programs that will be used to carry out this work in future."

XDefiant is finally getting closer: a stress test starts on Friday and will run all weekend long
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/xdefiant-is-finally-getting-closer-a-stress-test-starts-on-friday-and-will-run-all-weekend-long/
The XDefiant server stress test Ubisoft announced earlier this month will take place this weekend, beginning at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on April 19 and running until the same time on April 21.

Hades 2 technical test set to begin 'shortly,' signups are open now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hades-2-technical-test-set-to-begin-shortly-signups-are-open-now/
Hades 2 is set to launch into early access later this year, but if you don't want to wait that long to see what's cooking you can sign up to get a taste of it sooner in the upcoming technical test, which was announced today on Steam.

Gigantic walkers are back in Helldivers 2 with a vengeance, and you're gonna want to bring a 380mm barrage
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/gigantic-walkers-are-back-in-helldivers-2-with-a-vengeance-and-youre-gonna-want-to-bring-a-380mm-barrage/
Two weeks ago, the Helldivers 2 community was blindsided by a patch that sneakily added Gunships and gigantic AT-AT walkers to Automaton planets. It was a hectic 24 hours as players scrambled to react to the new threats and finally liberate Malevelon Creek. Super Earth prevailed, and while Gunships became a mainstay of Automaton missions, the walkers mysteriously vanished.
This morning, Arrowhead did it again. What was shared as a routine bug-fixing patch was actually a back door reintroduction of Factory Striders, four-legged "dreadnoughts" equipped with a top-mounted cannon, rotating front lasers, and a mobile factory that continuously spawns Devastators. Standing nearly as tall as a Bile Titan, Striders are by far the largest, most resilient enemy we've seen yet.
>> Talking about bug-fixing, Arrowhead is working on it, but they’re still a small studio and doesn’t have enough time to fix all of them at the same time.

Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive is laying off 5% of its workforce and 'rationalizing its pipeline,' the latest skin-crawling corporate euphemism for people losing their jobs
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/grand-theft-auto-publisher-take-two-interactive-is-laying-off-5-of-its-workforce-and-rationalizing-its-pipeline-the-latest-skin-crawling-corporate-euphemism-for-people-losing-their-jobs/
Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive said today that it has "approved a cost reduction program to identify efficiencies across its business and enhance the company’s margin profile, while still investing for growth," and what that means in practical terms is that it's canceling several games currently in development and laying off roughly 5% of its workforce.

Victoria 3's first major expansion is getting punted back by 2 months so Paradox doesn't repeat the mistake of EU4's disastrous Leviathan release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/victoria-3s-first-major-expansion-is-getting-punted-back-by-2-months-so-paradox-doesnt-repeat-the-mistake-of-eu4s-disastrous-leviathan-release/
Victoria 3, Paradox's game about making Karl Marx president or something, is due to get its first major expansion soon. It's called Sphere of Influence, and it promises to amp up Vicky's diplomatic aspects by focusing on regional interests, entanglements in foreign economies, and letting your nation's myriad interest groups form lobbies to agitate for change.
In other words, more political headaches than ever before, which is frankly just what I come to Victoria 3 for. But alas, Paradox has delayed the expansion. Where it was previously scheduled to come out on May 6, the studio is pushing things all the way back to June 24, a delay of just under two months. That also affects the release of the free patch that will accompany the update.

You can now buy mythic skins in Overwatch 2 and, to nobody's surprise, they're ridiculously expensive to buy outright
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/you-can-now-buy-mythic-skins-in-overwatch-2-and-to-nobodys-surprise-theyre-ridiculously-expensive-to-buy-outright/
Blizzard has changed the way nabbing a mythic skin in Overwatch 2 works, introducing a new shop, new currency and (sort of) new method of obtaining them.

Palworld CEO surprisingly jazzed about the big-budget clones of its game that are in the works: 'These are incredible times'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-ceo-surprisingly-jazzed-about-the-big-budget-clones-of-its-game-that-are-in-the-works-these-are-incredible-times/
You'd think that huge corporations trying to replicate your success with clones of your game would be a bit of a kick in the teeth, but Palworld CEO Takura Mizobe couldn't seem happier. 
(...)
Posting a screenshot of Auroria to Twitter, Mizobe wrote: "Tencent is already making a Palworld clone game! In China, many companies are simultaneously developing mobile clones of Palworld, and the budgets are in the 10 billion yen [approximately $64.6 million USD] range, 10 times larger than Palworld's… Next year, we might see many Genshin Impact-level creature (or bishojo) raising games… These are incredible times."

Finally found a good deal on a 4060, ended up paying $274 after taxes on Newegg. When it shows up on Monday my PC upgrade will finally be finished, and I will be jumping into playthroughs of the Fallout games with mods in honor of the Fallout show.

I have a question why do you think Counter Strike is far more popular than Halo within the Steam community.