These are the Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Square Enix president bemoans weak Final Fantasy sales and says his restructure is existential: 'Our winning formula is no longer effective'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/square-enix-president-bemoans-weak-final-fantasy-sales-and-says-his-restructure-is-existential-our-winning-formula-is-no-longer-effective/
The relatively new Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu has been making some big decisions in reviewing the company's development process "from scratch". (...)
Square Enix says it expects operating income of ¥40 billion in this financial year, against an expectation of ¥57 billion. Its sales and dividend outlook were also down. Since the announcement of these results and the ongoing restructuring, Square Enix's shares have suffered badly, with Bloomberg reporting that the fall of 16% is "their biggest decline in 13 years" (and bear in mind, the Japanese stock market has a daily limit on how far a stock can fall).
Kiryu told shareholders and analysts that the company had failed to meet its expectations because of low sales of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Final Fantasy XVI and Foamstars. Notably these games are all PlayStation 5 exclusives—the last estimate Square Enix gave for FF16 placed it at three million sales, with no further update here beyond Kiryu saying initial sales were good before tailing off.
Foamstars also fell short of expectations, though I'm not sure why Square Enix ever thought a B-tier Splatoon would set the world alight. Reading between the lines, however, what has really set the cat among the pigeons at Square Enix HQ is FF7 Rebirth. The second instalment of a trilogy remaking perhaps the company's most beloved RPG, Kiryu said only that sales were short of expectations and their internal targets.
What he didn't share were any sales numbers whatsoever. This game's been out for three months, it's the type of game that depends on that launch period for most of its sales, it's a major entry in the company's flagship series… Kiryu claimed sales weren't especially bad, but the absence of a sales figure says a lot.
The most relevant aspect of Square Enix's brave new world for PC gamers is that it has had enough of console exclusives (or is certainly talking like that—never underestimate what a big cheque can do). Kiryu is re-focusing the publisher on big-budget games, with the emphasis on quality, and more importantly wants them available on as many platforms as possible. The president reckons that over time FF16 will achieve what Square Enix expects, though with Rebirth he's not quite yet ready to say the obvious (it is definitely coming to PC).
>> So, either the games will be multiplatform since day one or Sony (and maybe Epic?) will have to give them a much bigger cheque.

Epic Store gives away Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dragon-age-inquisition-game-of-the-year-edition-2f0cbd.
The free game(s) for next week is a mystery.

GOG has two new sales:

• The SEGA Publisher Sale features up to 80% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2024_sega_publisher_sale
• And the Roll With It Sale with (in theory) titles based on tabletop and board games up to 95% off during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240516_roll_with_it_sale

Steam has Blade: The Edge of Darkness on sale with a 60% deal until May 29: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1710170/Blade_The_Edge_of_Darkness/.

There’s a new Humble Bundle: The Monster Hunter World & Rise Saga Bundle, with up to 7 items (agems + DLCs) to get during 13 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/monster-hunter-world-rise-saga.

And Fanatical has three new 24h Flash Deals and a new bundle:

• These are the Flash Deals:
  • DREDGE is 42% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dredge
  • UNDYING has a 52% deal: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/undying
  • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night can be yours with an 85% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night
• The BYO Nexus Bundle has 18 games to choose from and it works different from the usual ones. You better check it out by yourselves: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-nexus-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 24.5.1 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-24-5-1
Highlights
New Game Support

• Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• F1® 24

Expanded HYPR-Tune Support

• Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Horizon Forbidden West™ Complete Edition
• Starfield
• The Last of Us™ Part I
•  Enable HYPR-RX and get an instant boost in performance of up to 136% on the Radeon™ RX 7600XT GPU across games like Baldur’s Gate 3, F1 23, Resident Evil 4 and more! ^RS-643
• Enable HYPR-RX and get an instant boost in performance of up to 86% on the Ryzen™ 8700G APU across games like Baldur’s Gate 3, F1 23, Resident Evil 4 and more! ^RS-64
• Join the conversation by sharing how well HYPR-RX with AFMF is working on your system. This information across thousands of games helps us make further improvements.

AI on AMD

• The latest version of AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition ensures optimal support and performance, providing the most refined enhancements and optimizations for the best user experience.
• AMD Software can power AI functionality included with leading ISV applications. Content Creators can rely on AMD Software to accelerate AI-enhanced features in many content creation apps, including Adobe® Creative Cloud, Blender®, DaVinci Resolve, Topaz Photo & Video AI and many more.

AI Development on Radeon

• AMD Software enables lower-level AI functionality with popular frameworks like PyTorch and ONNX Runtime on Linux®, enabling developers, enthusiasts and researchers to work with AI on select Radeon 7000 series desktop GPUs.

Fixed Issues

• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing World of Warcraft® or World of Warcraft® Classic on RDNA™ 3 series graphics products.
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Overwatch® 2 on Radeon™ RX 5000 series graphics products.
• Intermittent stutter immediately after alt-tab with Performance Metrics Overlay enabled.
• Texture flicking may be observed while playing Hitman: Contracts.
• Corruption around certain water elements may be observed while playing Alan Wake 2 with Radeon™ Boost enabled.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Here’s your first look at Splinter Cell with RTX Remix Path Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-your-first-look-at-splinter-cell-with-rtx-remix-path-tracing/
Splinter Cell fans, here is something special for you today. YouTube’s ‘skurtyyskirts’ has shared a video, showcasing the classic Splinter Cell game with a WIP RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod.
The modder has used PBRify_Upscaler to add normal and roughness maps. As such, this WIP Mod looks better than most of the previous RTX Remix Mods we’ve shared.
Now what’s really cool here is that the video has some Before/After shots. These shots showcase perfectly the benefits of Path Tracing. And, as you will see, the lighting can completely change when using PT.
Since this is a WIP project, it does not really showcase the full benefits of RTX Remix. Not only that but there are some missing light sources. Take a look at 2:05. In that area, the devs added a fake light source (mainly for gameplay purposes). With the RTX Remix Mod, we get a more realistic lighting but this fake light source is nowhere to be found to highlight the path area.
In short, for a “first step”, this RTX Remix Mod looks really cool. However, it still needs a lot of work. So, let’s hope that the modder will put more work into it.
>> The article has an over 3 minutes video of this mod, plus another two videos with similar mods for Sonic Adventure and Tomb Raider.

Portrait of King Charles as rizzed-up final boss instantly modded into Dishonored
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/portrait-of-king-charles-as-rizzed-up-final-boss-is-instantly-modded-into-dishonored/
(...)
Anyway: last year saw the coronation of the UK's current monarch, King Charles III (for it is he). One of the many traditions the nation upholds (and frankly one of the less weird ones) is commissioning a top artist to paint the odd picture of them, and on Tuesday May 14 the first official portrait of Charles was unveiled by the king himself.
(...)
My first thought was Cainhurst. This location in Bloodborne can be summed up as 'FromSoftware does Castlevania' and is the now-ruined castle of a vampire-style monarchy, reviled by most other groups in Yharnam, and decked out in all the opulence and faded grandeur you can shake a ceremonial staff at. I think it's the deep reds from which the face emerges: this just looks exactly like the kind of thing you find on the wall in such places.
(…)
The other big comparison doing the rounds might be even better. "If you did an irl Dishonored playthrough on the British monarchy you would find this in king Charles' private quarters," observes Tate Paulson, "next to a stereograph playing a recording of him confessing to infidelity and making racist remarks about Meghan Markle."
(…)
Hero modder Timo did God's work by making this a reality: you can now download a mod that puts King Charles' portrait in Dishonored (stealing art is a mechanic). The video below shows it in-game.
>> The fact that I had to cut off so much of the article highlights how much unnecessary crap some PCGamer articles have. Anyway, there’s a short video of the mod in it.

GAMING NEWS

Old School Rally is a new racing game with PSX 32-bit graphics, created by a solo developer, that will immediately remind you of the classic Colin McRae Rally
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/old-school-rally-is-a-new-racing-game-with-psx-32-bit-graphics-created-by-a-solo-developer-that-will-immediately-remind-you-of-the-classic-colin-mcrae-rally/
Old-school rally fans, here is something really special for you today. Frozen Lake Games, a solo gaming studio, has announced Old School Rally; a new rally racing game that has 32-bit retro graphics.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been officially revealed and here are its first details, screenshots & cinematic trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-shadows-has-been-officially-revealed-and-here-are-its-first-details-screenshots-cinematic-trailer/
Ubisoft has officially announced the next main AC game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on November 15th, and below you can find its first details as well as its cinematic trailer.
>> Here’s a PCGamer article where they highlight some bits of an IGN interview that indicate that stealth may make a comeback, at least in some parts of the game.

Starfield Title Update 1.11.36 released with over 100 fixes, tweaks, changes and improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/starfield-title-update-1-11-36-released-with-over-100-fixes-tweaks-changes-and-improvements/
Bethesda has just released Title Update 1.11.36 for Starfield. According to the release notes, this latest patch comes with over 100 fixes, tweaks, changes and improvements. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Warner Bros has removed Denuvo from Back 4 Blood
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warner-bros-has-removed-denuvo-from-back-4-blood/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. Warner Bros and Turtle Rock Studios have just removed the controversial Denuvo anti-tamper tech from Back 4 Blood.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 May 15th Patch Released and Here Are All Its Fixes, Tweaks & Changes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dragons-dogma-2-may-15th-patch-released-and-here-are-all-its-fixes-tweaks-changes/
Capcom has released the May 15th Title Update for Dragon’s Dogma 2, and it shared its full patch notes. From the looks of it, this is a really small update. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will NOT require a mandatory internet connection at all times, it will be playable in offline mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-shadows-will-not-require-a-mandatory-internet-connection-at-all-times-it-will-be-playable-in-offline-mode/
Ubisoft revealed yesterday the next part in its Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And, from the looks of it, some rumors surfaced, suggesting that it would be an always-online title. However, that won’t be the case.
>> Well, taht’s a welcome surprise from Ubisoft.

The Thursday news, part two:

Overwatch 2's mid-season patch has made Sigma's ultimate even more terrifying than before
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2s-mid-season-patch-has-made-sigmas-ultimate-even-more-terrifying-than-before/
Overwatch 2 just got a small mid-season patch that buffs a few of the heroes and improves competitive matchmaking slightly, and while most of the changes are pretty minimal, one sticks out like a sore thumb: Sigma's ultimate is even more terrifying than it was before. 

Minecraft is celebrating its 15th birthday with '15 days of exclusive items and daily specials'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecraft-is-celebrating-its-15th-birthday-with-15-days-of-exclusive-items-and-daily-specials/
Minecraft is turning 15 years old in a couple of days, and apart from making me reckon with the relentless passage of time, it seems like there are a lot of fun celebrations to be packed into the next two weeks.

This 'souls-like platonic dating simulator' is (not so) secretly an Undertale-adjacent RPG with zero restraint, and I need a lie down after trying it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-souls-like-platonic-dating-simulator-is-not-so-secretly-an-undertale-adjacent-rpg-with-zero-restraint-and-i-need-a-lie-down-after-trying-it/
(...)
Athenian Rhapsody's Steam page advertises it as a "a souls-like platonic dating simulator with cooking-mama and WarioWare style battle mechanics", though clarifies: "and by that I mean it's a choose-your-own-adventure action RPG with the ability to trade ENTIRE PLAYTHROUGHS between friends!"

Magical girl farm sim Fields of Mistria is bringing '90s anime sparkle to early access in August
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/magical-girl-farm-sim-fields-of-mistria-is-bringing-90s-anime-sparkle-to-early-access-in-august/
We may be spoiled for choice on Stardew Valley-style farm sims right now, but that is not keeping me from getting excited about another one. Magical girl-infused life sim Fields of Mistria is one of the upcoming cozy games I've been most excited for this year and, in what I choose to believe is a favor to me personally, has announced the release date for its early access launch: August 5.

Hi-Fi Rush gets a bittersweet last patch as Tango Gameworks takes its final bow: 'Thank you again… You're all rockstars!'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hi-fi-rush-gets-a-bittersweet-final-patch-as-tango-gameworks-takes-its-final-bow-thank-you-again-youre-all-rockstars/
Just days after Microsoft announced the upcoming closure of Tango Gameworks (alongside Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Games), the studio has released one final patch for the outstanding rhythm-based action game Hi-Fi Rush.

Ubisoft cancels The Division: Heartland so it can focus on 'bigger opportunities' like XDefiant
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/ubisoft-cancels-the-division-heartland-so-it-can-focus-on-bigger-opportunities-like-xdefiant/
Three years after announcing it as "an all-new perspective" on its long-running Division series, Ubisoft has quietly pulled the plug on The Division: Heartland, saying it has decided to focus its efforts on other games instead.

UK government responds to Stop Killing Games petition, and it's not good: 'There is no requirement in UK law' that forces companies to support old software
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/uk-government-responds-to-stop-killing-games-petition-and-its-not-good-there-is-no-requirement-in-uk-law-that-forces-companies-to-support-old-software/
The UK government has issued a response to a petition filed by the Stop Killing Games campaign, and it's probably not what organizers were hoping to hear. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said videogame companies must comply with existing consumer laws, but also noted that there is no law compelling them to support older versions of their products.

Helldivers 2 community rallies behind wholesome hero after a remorseful villain kicks them, giving rise to Super Earth's new battlecry: 'im frend'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-community-rallies-behind-wholesome-hero-after-a-remorseful-villain-kicks-them-giving-rise-to-super-earths-new-battlecry-im-frend/
Helldivers 2 players have added a new deity to their ever-evolving lore—joining the pantheon alongside the almighty Joel, his loki-like doppelganger, and the betrayer deity GantzTheDemon. This latest addition is more innocent and wholesome by half: the big-hearted dremskiy, who wants you to know one thing: "im frend". 

Manor Lords players debate whether it should get gallows, but the historical accuracy crowd says they should be in the stocks for even thinking of it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/manor-lords-players-debate-whether-it-should-get-gallows-but-the-historical-accuracy-crowd-says-they-should-be-in-the-stocks-for-even-thinking-of-it/
We've seen plenty of great additions to Manor Lords recently—just the other week, developer Greg "Slavic Magic" Styczeń released a massive patch that tweaked a couple of issues like harsh trading and added a King's Tax. Still, all of that hasn't stopped players from dreaming up new ways to interact with their medieval villages. 
The player Nucleif took to r/ManorLords to share the idea that "we should have a Gallows in Manor Lords." While new ideas for spicing up Manor Lords are great, this suggestion hasn't been received very well, with most players pointing out that despite popular belief, the gallows aren't actually historically accurate to the time period. 

[ASUS] Enhancing Our RMA Communication Processes in US and Canada

https://www.asus.com/ca-en/news/y2vzd3jkg5fir3qw/

Tune in next time when Asus ends up not improving at all

MESA RADV Vulkan Driver Gets AMD’s RDNA 4 “GFX12” GPU Support, Fueled By Valve’s Engineers

https://wccftech.com/mesa-radv-vulkan-driver-amd-rdna-4-gfx12-gpu-support-fueled-valves-engineers/

Intel Battlemage “BMG-G21” GPU With Xe2 Graphics Architecture Spotted, Lunar Lake Xe2-LPG Receives Further Support

https://wccftech.com/intel-battlemage-bmg-g21-gpu-xe2-graphics-architecture-lunar-lake-xe2-lpg-support/

ASUS ROG Ally X handheld reportedly features 24GB LPDDR5X memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-rog-ally-x-handheld-reportedly-features-24gb-lpddr5x-memory

After watching JTC video of Asus' new BIOS for Intel and how they've still managed to screw up, I think they're in some kind of mental state where they can't actually see how all this wrongdoing is hurting them in the customers eyes and how we'll remember that when the time to buy new hardware comes.

Then again, Gigabyte has already shown multiple times how unreliable they are, Asrock is very inconsistant and MSI can also screw up when you less expect it, so it's not like there's a clear brand you can rely on, at least nowadays.

Please 2k. Show me Civ 7 next month. It's about time.

Let’s go with the Friday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

City builder, Manor Lords, has sold two million units in three weeks
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/city-builder-manor-lords-has-sold-two-million-units-in-three-weeks/
Hooded Horse has announced that Manor Lords has now sold over two million copies across all stores. The game hit Early Access on April 26th, meaning that it took it less than three weeks to hit that sales goal.

As GTA 6 draws closer, GTA 5 is still making bank
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/as-gta-6-draws-closer-gta-5-is-still-making-bank/
More than a decade after its debut on antiquated consoles, Grand Theft Auto 5 is still a cash cow for Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two. Speaking today during Take-Two's Q4 quarterly earnings call with investors, CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that the game has now sold "approximately" 200 million copies, up from the "over 185 million" copies it had sold as of August last year.
Meanwhile, the audience for both GTA 5 and GTA Online grew by 35% and 23% respectively during the last fiscal year. That period has seen GTA 5 appear on subscription services like Xbox Game Pass, which hosted GTA 5 for six months in 2023, and Sony's PS Plus service. Leaving that aside, to sell around 15 million units of an 11-year-old game is still significant. Just for the fun of it, compare those 15 million units with the best selling game of 2023, Hogwarts Legacy, which sold 22 million as of January 2024 (it released in February 2023).

Turn-based 4X fantasy strategy game, ENDLESS Legend, is free on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/turn-based-4x-fantasy-strategy-game-endless-legend-is-free-on-steam/
SEGA and AMPLITUDE Studios are currently giving away free copies of their turn-based 4X fantasy strategy game, ENDLESS Legend, on Steam. Until May 23rd, PC gamers can visit its Steam store page and acquire their free copy.
ENDLESS Legend is a 4X turn-based fantasy strategy game by the creators of ENDLESS Space and Dungeon of the ENDLESS. In this game, you will control every aspect of your civilization as you struggle to save your homeworld Auriga.
>> It’s not the first time they’re giving it away, but for those that missed it before, you can grab it here.

Epic's 2024 Mega Sale goes live with its first-ever Dragon Age: Inquisition giveaway
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/epics-2024-mega-sale-goes-live-with-its-first-ever-dragon-age-inquisition-giveaway/
The Epic Games Store's annual Mega Sale is now underway, with discounts of up to 85% on a variety of games and a free copy of Dragon Age: Inquisition Game of the Year Edition to get things rolling.
(...)
As for the Mega Sale itself, a few highlights include EA Sports FC 24 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, both 80% off, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Far Cry 6 at 75% off, and Mortal Kombat 1, God of War, Dead Island 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and Assassin's Creed Mirage all at half price. 
>> So that’s why the free games are a mystery. I should have checked the store more closely to notice that.

The Humble Store has the inkle Spotlight Sale, with up to 80% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/inkle-spotlight-sale/.

Fanatical has what appers to be the last three 24h Flash Deals of the sale:

• Hell Let Loose will be 47% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/hell-let-loose
• Mortal Kombat 1 - Premium Edition gets a 57% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/mortal-kombat-1-premium-edition
• And Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition is 61% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dying-light-2-stay-human

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 31.0.101.5522 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-31-0-101-5522
Highlights
Gaming Highlights:
Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel® Core™ Ultra with built-in Intel® Arc™ GPUs for:

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Starfield May Update
• Wuthering Waves
• Xdefiant

Game performance improvements on Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics Products versus Intel® 31.0.101.5448 software driver for:

• Starfield May Update (DX12)
  • Up to 8% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings
  • Up to 7% average FPS uplift at 1440p with High settings

Fixed Issues
Intel® Arc™ Control Fixed Issues:
Arc Control may show intermittent error when trying to enable Virtual Camera and camera preview on Intel® Core™ Ultra with built-in Intel® Arc™ GPUs.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

So far the Manor Lords modding scene is focussed on the essentials: free beer, bigger punch-ups, and letting you walk around as Geralt
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/so-far-the-manor-lords-modding-scene-is-focussed-on-the-essentials-free-beer-bigger-punch-ups-and-letting-you-walk-around-as-geralt/
Manor Lords is still in early access, and despite developer Greg "Slavic Magic" Styczeń releasing a massive patch that fixes a great deal of the small issues players have encountered so far, there are still some pretty helpful and wacky mods that can also get the job done. 
If you haven't seen the latest experimental patch yet or just don't want to encounter the King's tax, then this mod can help smooth out ale production for you. It can be difficult to get the balance of crops right to maintain constant ale production, especially since villagers tend to go through the supply so quickly.
This is where the Jesus Ale Tech mod can help you out, as it removes the need for malt to make Ale and so makes production cost nothing. The description gets right to the point: "Oh god, those crazy bastards figured it out. That upgraded church sent Jesus to your people and taught them his ways. Except they learned Ale instead of wine." There may even be a possibility for churches to brew beer in the future, something that many monasteries and churches were well-known for during the Middle Ages. 
But not all the mods need to make your game easier. Some, like Adaptive Bandits, will challenge your skills as Lord. This mod stops bandit raids from being capped at a specific number (which is usually four): "The size and frequency of bandit raids now increase according to your total wealth (regional wealth + treasury) and your total units." But if you're not happy with that number, then you can customise the mod's configuration. It's also recommended to use mods Unlock Militia Limit, Increased Garrison Limit, Mercenaries Pool Fix, and Hildebolt's Vanguard Army (Difficulty mod) alongside it, as they'll make sure it's a fair fight. 
>> The article doesn’t have any media about those mods.

GAMING NEWS

Valve’s next game is rumored to be a competitive 6v6 third-person hero-based shooter
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/valves-next-game-is-rumored-to-be-a-competitive-6v6-third-person-hero-based-shooter/
Gabe Follower, a CS data miner/insider, has apparently leaked the first details for Valve’s upcoming game which will be called Deadlock. According to the leaker, Deadlock will be a competitive 6v6 third-person hero-based shooter.
>> And here are some alleged screenshots that have leaked online.

PC appears to be the most popular platform for Tekken 8
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-appears-to-be-the-most-popular-platform-for-tekken-8/
Reddit’s ‘NotQuiteFactual‘ has collected and shared some interesting stats about Bandai Namco’s latest fighting game, Tekken 8. According to the latest stats, the PC platform is the most popular one in Tekken 8. Yep, you read that right. Tekken 8 has more PC players than PlayStation and Xbox players.
>> It’s based on replays, so I don’t know how reliable this is, which is why I haven’t posted this article in the “sales” section.

Here’s the first gameplay trailer for Greedfall 2: The Dying World
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-the-first-gameplay-trailer-for-greedfall-2-the-dying-world/
NACON has released the first gameplay trailer for Spiders’ upcoming action RPG, Greedfall 2: The Dying World. Greedfall 2 will hit Steam Early Access this Summer, and this trailer will give you a glimpse at some of its gameplay mechanics.

Friday news, the second part:

Arthur Morgan and Tifa Lockhart's actors are hosting this year's Future Games Show Summer Showcase
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/arthur-morgan-and-tifa-lockharts-actors-are-hosting-this-years-future-games-show-summer-showcase/
We may still not know if Red Dead Redemption will make its way onto PC, but if you're scratching at the fence posts for more cowboy content, then at least you can stare longingly at Arthur Morgan's actor Roger Clark as he hosts the upcoming Future Games Show Summer Showcase alongside Britt Baron, best known for playing Tifa Lockhart in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. 

Dead by Daylight's new multiplayer horror game Project T is brave enough to ask: What if the survivors had a lot of guns, and also a truck
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/dead-by-daylights-new-multiplayer-horror-game-project-t-is-brave-enough-to-ask-what-if-the-survivors-had-a-lot-of-guns-and-also-a-truck/
Midwinter Entertainment's upcoming game, codenamed Project T, is a new take on the Dead by Daylight universe. It swaps out helpless survivors trying to fix generators for gritty trespassers fighting hordes of monsters off with guns, trucks, and just about anything you can get your hands on—it looks more like Left 4 Dead than anything we've seen in Dead by Daylight before. 

Ubisoft insists yet again that its uncanny AI-generated 'NEO-NPCs' will make games 'more alive and richer', whatever that means
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/ubisoft-insists-yet-again-that-its-uncanny-ai-generated-neo-npcs-will-make-games-more-alive-and-richer-whatever-that-means/
Ubisoft wants investors to know that it's still all-in on the AI-generated NPCs thing, according to a recent Q&A session (which you can access on the Ubisoft website). Fielding queries after a financial report, CEO Yves Guillemot insisted that there's still a bright future for uncanny NPCs delivering awkward and stilted performances with precious little intention behind them.

Final Fantasy 14 director Yoshi-P says the ongoing DDoS problems are the 'largest scale' attacks seen since the game's original 2010 launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14-director-yoshi-p-says-the-ongoing-ddos-problems-are-the-largest-scale-attacks-seen-since-the-games-original-2010-launch/
Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida has said the ongoing DDoS attacks on the MMO are the longest and "largest-scale" the game has seen in the last decade.
"With the DDoS attacks, I believe this is the largest-scale and length we've been seeing this sort of attack since the original Final Fantasy 14," Yoshida revealed during the latest Letter from the Producer livestream. "Of course, although it is the largest and longest period we've been receiving these attacks, we do have a very talented infrastructure team in Square Enix, and those who are specifically assigned to Final Fantasy 14 working very hard to protect us on a 24-hour basis; they swap teams on a rotation."

A week after Microsoft closed 4 game studios, Microsoft-owned Activision announces a new game studio
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-week-after-microsoft-closed-4-game-studios-microsoft-owned-activision-announces-a-new-game-studio/
Just over a week after Microsoft abruptly shuttered four studios—Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Games—Microsoft-owned Activision has announced the launch of a new internal studio called Elsewhere Entertainment, "exclusively focused on creating a new narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise."

Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs lays off employees and cancels in-development projects, says it's 'the last resort to ensure Phoenix Labs can survive'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/dauntless-developer-phoenix-labs-lays-off-employees-and-cancels-in-development-projects-says-its-the-last-resort-to-ensure-phoenix-labs-can-survive/
Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs is laying off "many" employees and cancelling in-development projects as part of a major restructuring plan aimed at creating "a path for a strong future," according to its leadership.

Hades 2's Olympus-sized first patch introduces the quality of life fix we've been begging for
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/hades-2s-olympus-sized-first-patch-introduces-the-quality-of-life-fix-weve-been-begging-for/
Hades 2 is already well worth playing in early access, but it's still a game we should expect to change a ton as more features get added and player feedback keeps rolling in. Just over a week after the game's early access launch, we now have our first patch, and it's a big one.

Helldivers 2 takes a page from George W. Bush, rebrands its military operations as the 'Galactic War on Tyranny' to drum up new recruits
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-takes-a-page-from-george-w-bush-rebrands-its-military-operations-as-the-galactic-war-on-tyranny-to-drum-up-new-recruits/
It's been a stagnant few weeks for Helldivers 2's galactic war. Super Earth has been on a streak of Ls as of late, with several failed major orders to secure planets with malfunctioning Terminid Control Systems and, more recently, a failed order that came with material consequences: We fell short of scrapping two billion Automatons in a week, and lost our second opportunity to unlock the Anti-Tank Mines stratagem.
In an effort to drum up enthusiasm for its anti-bug and anti-robot campaigns among the Federation, the Super Earth government has issued an important update:
"The Automatons have invaded large swaths of our territory. The TCS has failed, and the Meridian Supercolony spews ever-larger quantities of Terminids across the galaxy. Liberty is under greater threat than ever before. In response to this situation, the Government of Super Earth has officially declared war on all agents of Tyranny," the in-game message reads.

Grand Theft Auto 6 release window narrowed to fall 2025, but there's still no PC launch date confirmed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/grand-theft-auto-6-release-window-narrowed-to-fall-2025-but-theres-still-no-pc-launch-date-confirmed/
The release window for Grand Theft Auto 6 just got a little narrower: In today's 2024 year-end financial report, publisher Take-Two Interactive said the game is expected to come out—for consoles, anyway—in the fall of 2025.

Randy Pitchford is 'a hit maker,' says Take-Two CEO: 'We've already identified many potential growth opportunities for the Borderlands series'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/randy-pitchford-is-a-hit-maker-says-take-two-ceo-weve-already-identified-many-potential-growth-opportunities-for-the-borderlands-series/
Take-Two "jumped" at the opportunity to buy Gearbox when the opportunity to do so on "reasonable" terms arose earlier this year, said CEO Strauss Zelnick during an investors call today.
"We have all the respect in the world for Randy Pitchford and his team," said Zelnick. "He has the ability to bring triple-A products to market responsibly and on a very reliable and rather rapid cadence. And he's a hit maker. It's very hard to make a new hit, and Tiny Tina was a new hit." 
(...)
"We've already identified many potential growth opportunities for the Borderlands series and Gearbox's catalog, which we plan to pursue once the studio is integrated into our organization," Zelnick said in today's call.

Take-Two CEO says he's 'not trying to be cute or difficult' with vague answers about the fate of the Kerbal and OlliOlli studios, but is kind of being cute and difficult
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/intercept-roll7-closures-update/
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN today that the company has not closed Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games or OlliOlli maker Roll7 despite a recent report that said the studios had been shut down.
"We didn't shutter those studios, to be clear," Zelnick told the site. "And we are always looking at our release schedule across all of our studios to make sure that it makes sense. So we are being very judicious because we are in the middle of a cost reduction program that we've already concluded and are now fully rolling out. We've announced that we're saving $165 million in existing and future costs, but we haven't shuttered anything."

'We knew that was a pain point … why make that mistake again?' World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic devs talk tinkering with the game's first divisive expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/we-knew-that-was-a-pain-point-why-make-that-mistake-again-world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-classic-devs-talk-tinkering-with-the-games-first-divisive-expansion/
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is arriving May 20, and it's an interesting topic because—as PC Gamer's Andy Chalk pointed out back when it was announced—Cataclysm's changes to the world are part of the reason why Classic exists in the first place. Granted, the infamous "you think you do, but you don't" quote comes from the Warlords of Draenor days—a couple expansions after Cataclysm—but good ol' Deathwing is still the dragon that broke the world.
(...)
That's not to say that Cataclysm was a disaster in the same way that something like Shadowlands was. However, Blizzard broke from its "no changes" mindset a while back—in other words, Cataclysm Classic isn't just an opportunity to relive the expansion, it's an opportunity to do stuff right. 
I had the opportunity to speak with lead software engineer Nora Valletta and principal game designer Kris Zierhut about that process. 

Last but far from least are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• Only one Deal of the Day, Stronghold HD, that will be 70% off until Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/stronghold

+Steam

• The Games Made in France Sale has up to 85% discounts, as well as demo, until the 19th, at least for some games: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/gamesmadeinfrance
• Baldur's Gate 3 will be 15% off until the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1086940/Baldurs_Gate_3/
• The Early Access title Kebab Chefs! - Restaurant Simulator gets a 30% discount until May 23: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001270/Kebab_Chefs__Restaurant_Simulator/
• Devolver Digital celebrates its 15th Anniversary with up to 90% discounts until the 23rd, but some deals will last longer than that: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/devolver2024
• Killing Floor 2 will be free to try during the weekend and also 95% off until Thursday, the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/232090/Killing_Floor_2/
• Cyberpunk 2077 will be 50% off until May the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1091500/Cyberpunk_2077/
• Rungore, that has a demo, will be 25% off until the 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2113040/RUNGORE/
• And SCS Software celebrates the launch of a new DLC with The Truck Simulator Sale, featuring up to 83% discounts until the 30th of May: e https://store.steampowered.com/developer/SCSsoftware/sale/the_truck_simulator_sale

And that’s it. Monday is festive here so I’m not sure if I’ll make the news or not so, until whenever the next time is, I wish you a happy and gaming time.

ASUS Vivobook S 15 Laptop With Snapdragon X Elite CPU Leaked: 12-Core CPU, 3K OLED Display, 1250 Euro Base Price

https://wccftech.com/asus-vivobook-s-15-laptop-snapdragon-x-elite-cpu-leak-12-core-cpu-3k-oled-display-1250-euro-base-price/

Next-Gen Loongson 8-Core CPUs To Feature Performance On Par With Intel’s 12th Gen Core i7 & Core i5 Chips

https://wccftech.com/next-gen-loongson-8-core-cpus-performance-on-par-intel-12th-gen-core-i7-core-i5/

Chinese company reveals world’s first Intel Lunar Lake gaming handheld

https://videocardz.com/newz/chinese-company-reveals-worlds-first-intel-lunar-lake-gaming-handheld

Sony has generated approximately $700 million from PC port sales for the last fiscal year

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/sony-has-generated-approximately-700-million-from-pc-port-sales-for-the-last-fiscal-year.1670678/

No wonder Sony is so keen in porting their games to PC.