The news, the second part:

3 months after firing Dr Disrespect, Deadrop developer Midnight Society confirms 'significant' layoffs
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/3-months-after-firing-dr-disrespect-deadrop-developer-midnight-society-confirms-significant-layoffs/
Midnight Society, the developer currently working on the NFT extraction shooter Deadrop, has confirmed "significant" layoffs at the studio, but says it remains committed to releasing the game in 2025 despite the cuts.

As it struggles to find players, Ubisoft's XDefiant will give you $9 in funbucks if you log in a few times over the next couple of weeks
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/as-it-struggles-to-find-players-ubisofts-xdefiant-will-give-you-dollar9-in-funbucks-if-you-log-in-a-few-times-over-the-next-couple-of-weeks/
Remember XDefiant? The sweaty, free-to-play COD-like from Ubisoft that—per Midcap Partners analyst Charles-Louis Planade—has struggled to find an audience since it came out last May? It's understandably keen that you play it, and is offering around $9 (£8) in company scrip to anyone who shows up once a day in the game between now and September 24. 

Minecraft is ditching yearly summer updates in favor of smaller, more frequent ones: 'We know that you want new Minecraft content more often'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/minecraft-is-ditching-yearly-summer-updates-in-favor-of-smaller-more-frequent-ones-we-know-that-you-want-new-minecraft-content-more-often/
In a blog post ominously titled "The future of Minecraft's development" this week, Mojang laid out the changes we can expect to its update schedule. The big one is that Minecraft is moving away from doing single, major game updates each summer in favor of smaller ones throughout the year and more frequent Minecraft Live presentations to match.

The yearly Minecraft mob vote is dead, players celebrate the death of mob democracy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-yearly-minecraft-mob-vote-is-dead-players-celebrate-the-death-of-mob-democracy/
The Minecraft mob vote is an annual exercise in democracy and ritual combat in which Mojang puts forward a few new mobs for possible addition into the game, and the community pulls the metaphorical battleaxes off the wall and has at it. I didn't discover the process myself until last year: I thought it sounded like fun but quickly learned the error of my ways. An awful lot of people take the mob vote very seriously.
Sadly for those who enjoy the online beef, the mob vote is no more. "We’re changing the format for Minecraft Live, and retiring the mob vote, to bring you something new," Minecraft general manager Ryan Cooper said in an update on the future of Minecraft's development.

Sonic Team director dashes hopes for a standalone Chao Garden: 'We can't just break it off and make it a thing'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/sonic-team-director-dashes-hopes-for-a-standalone-chao-garden-we-cant-just-break-it-off-and-make-it-a-thing/
My partner and I recently revisited Sonic Adventure 2, and it wasn't because we have a special fondness for sending hedgehogs rocketing to their deaths at unpredictable angles or fumbling with Tails's Metal Gear. We were there for the Chao Garden—the side mode where Sonic and co. act as surrogate parents for little blorbo creatures who you can force to fight in karate matches before they've learned to walk. It's a feature so beloved that its failure to appear as a standalone game is a continued and baffling mystery. Apparently, I'm going to stay baffled, because Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka says the Chao Garden isn't right for a spinoff.

Survival game Nightingale is making big changes after the developers looked at games like Palworld and Enshrouded: 'It was really the structure that stood out'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/survival-game-nightingale-is-making-big-changes-after-the-developers-looked-at-games-like-palworld-and-enshrouded-it-was-really-the-structure-that-stood-out/
Some big changes are coming to co-op survival game Nightingale this week. The Realms Rebuilt update planned for September 12 will add new weapons, spells, dungeons, and bosses. It'll also expand build limits on player bases, overhaul the progression system, and even add cats (in hats). 

Konami admits Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 1 kind of sucked at launch, promises to 'do everything we can not to repeat that' with Volume 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/konami-admits-metal-gear-solid-master-collection-vol-1-kind-of-sucked-at-launch-promises-to-do-everything-we-can-not-to-repeat-that-with-volume-2/
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 hit almost a year ago, and it did so in a, uh, pretty lacklustre state. (...)
"We're also worried about how Vol 1 had a pretty rough launch," said Konami's current (and very amiable) MGS helmsman Noriaki Okamura in the second episode of the Metal Gear Production Hotline. "We're going to do everything we can to not repeat that [with Volume 2]."

Helldivers 2 heralds the flamethrower's return to its former glory, and will be releasing previews of its buff-filled September update every day until it drops
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-heralds-the-flamethrower-s-return-to-its-former-glory-and-will-be-releasing-previews-of-its-buff-filled-september-update-every-day/
Helldivers 2 has been encountering a bit of turbulence since its absurdly popular release—community dramas, review bombs, its CEO stepping down to CCO to better respond to player feedback, in-game protests, and, finally, a promise of a 60-day update plan to help haul it out of the fire.
Complaints have been numerous and passionately argued, but to summarise, Helldivers 2 has a couple of issues with its balancing philosophy. Time-to-kill is still pretty high despite Johan Pilestedt highlighting it as a problem and yet, despite that, some popular weapons were nerfed. The flamethrower, for instance, had nerfs that capped both its actual usability and, for reasons beyond my ken, a significant downgrade in its visual effects.
Pyromaniacs can rejoice, however, as the studio has elected to roll out its promised buffs piecemeal, starting with a plan to reinstate the flamethrower to its former office of glory.

Helldivers 2 devs casually reveal they're quadrupling the Railgun's durable damage, while CCO Pilestedt says kit like the Recoilless Rifle will become a 'delete key', and oh, do I like the sound of that
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-devs-casually-reveal-they-re-quadrupling-the-railgun-s-durable-damage-while-cco-pilestedt-says-kit-like-the-recoilless-rifle-will-become-a-delete-key-and-oh-do-i-like-the-sound-of-that/
Helldivers 2 has been, over the course of its turbulent lifespan, criticised for a couple of things—firstly, its heavily armoured enemies take a little too long to murder, and are downright impossible to kill without specific equipment. Secondly, whenever anyone's having a bit too much fun, the weapon in question seems to get nerfed.
Arrowhead Games' CCO—formerly CEO—Johan Pilestedt took to Discord to talk a little about the design philosophies fuelling an upcoming patch, which is coming to the horde shooter September 17.

Helldivers 2 creative director says it's a better, sillier world when physics bugs can kill players for jumping past the wrong lamppost: 'Realism can suck it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-creative-director-says-its-a-better-sillier-world-when-physics-bugs-can-kill-players-for-jumping-past-the-wrong-lamppost-realism-can-suck-it/
The Helldivers face an overwhelmingly hostile galaxy. Each deployment means risking mortal peril, whether by way of armor-shredding Terminid talons or the steel onslaught of the Automaton menace. Some of Super Earth's soldiers, however, fall prey to a more subtle killer: the physics glitch, a merciless enemy that's happy to pulverize a Helldiver as punishment for tripping over the wrong bit of terrain. It's an insidious foe, but it also happens to be very funny—funny enough that Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt thinks it's probably a net positive for everyone if it's left unaddressed.

You won’t be surprised to find a third news post, right?

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will have Dragon Age: The Photo Mode at launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dragon-age-the-veilguard-will-have-dragon-age-the-photo-mode-at-launch/
Photo modes aren't really my thing—as far as I'm concerned, I have a printscreen button and that's good enough. Some people really enjoy them, though: Witness, for example, how much fun weekend editor Jody Macgregor is having making Titus throw silly faces in Space Marine 2. And for those people, and more specifically those people who are also Dragon Age fans, there is good news, as IGN says Dragon Age: The Veilguard will have a full-fledged photo mode at launch.

Payday 3's game director is stepping down after a hard first year for the heist game sequel
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/payday-3s-game-director-is-stepping-down-after-a-hard-first-year-for-the-heist-game-sequel/
Miodrag “Mio” Kovačević will be stepping down as game director of Payday 3, according to an announcement from Starbreeze released earlier today on the official Payday X account. 

Amidst upset over Space Marine 2 automatically installing Epic Online Services, Epic says PC crossplay is a requirement for all multiplayer games on its store
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/amidst-upset-over-space-marine-2-automatically-installing-epic-online-services-epic-says-pc-crossplay-is-a-requirement-for-all-multiplayer-games-on-its-store/
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is off to a roaring start, but some players are unhappy about one particular point: The game's use of Epic Online Services, which enables cross-play and friends list synchronization between Epic and Steam. Space Marine 2 publisher Focus Entertainment clarified last week that players don't have to link their accounts to play the game, but more recently Epic told Eurogamer that crossplay support is a requirement for any multiplayer games being sold on its store.
>> Because only EOS makes that possible, right?

World of Warcraft: The War Within's Season 1 is live—with Mythic dungeons, raids, and the new endgame activity Delves released in full
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-the-war-within-s-season-1-is-live-with-mythic-dungeons-raids-and-the-new-endgame-activity-delves-released-in-full/
World of Warcraft: The War Within has enjoyed, overall, a pretty decent response from the playerbase at large. A surprisingly solid story, a premise that screams high fantasy, and some peak quality of life upgrades that've made the game all the more alt-friendly has, by and large, led to a real sense that WoW is back, baby.
But now the real endgame begins—alongside the inevitable judgement of whether The War Within truly is the banger expansion it's promising to be. Released yesterday for the US and today for the EU, this first season brings with it the Nerub-ar Palace raid, Mythic Dungeons, higher tiers of delves, and a fresh PvP season. Let's go through the marquee features, as revealed in a pre-release blog on the World of Warcraft website (and this handy infographic, courtesy of Blizzard).

WoW duo reach max level in The War Within without actually playing The War Within
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-the-war-within-duo-max-level-exploration/
A father and son just proved that you don't need any warcraft to reach World of Warcraft: The War Within's new level cap. Exploration alone can boost your character through the leveling process, but it requires bending the MMO's rules a little bit.

Microsoft gaming's post-acquisition bloodletting continues as 650 more staff are set to be laid off for 'sustainable future growth'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/microsoft-gaming-s-post-acquisition-bloodletting-continues-as-650-more-staff-are-set-to-be-laid-off-for-sustainable-future-growth/
Microsoft will soon, depending on when this latest round of layoffs are actioned, have let go over 2,500 total staff since purchasing Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
An internal memo shared by IGN states that 650 workers across "mostly corporate and supporting functions" will be laid off. In an email sent to staff, head of Xbox Phil Spencer noted that the removals were "part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business.

Imagine having so many RMAs that you run out of stock to fulfill them. Wow.

And well, we knew that the 4070 with GDDR6 VRAM wouldn't be too much slower, but it's still a difference and both products shouldn't be priced the same.

Yeah Intel running out of RMA stock and giving cash refunds in going to do serious and long lasting reputational harm to their brand in Korea. They just sent a bunch of customers to AMD in a time when they can't afford to lose any. It's looking rough for Intel right now on all fronts.

I hate Steam so much. I haven't finished Tales of Arise (31 hours in) and I woke up this morning with 8 games on my wishlist that are on sale.

I'm going to need a bigger HDD.

It’s time for the Friday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The Playstation Publisher Sale has games up to 80% off during 5 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/playstation-publisher-sale/
• The Silent Shadows Sale has games up to 95% off during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/silent-shadows-sale/

Fanatical has launched the BYO Prestige Collection for September has launched with up to 23 games to get in bundles of 2+, 3+ and 5+: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/prestige-collection-build-your-own-bundle.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

A year after outraging developers, blowing up its reputation, and saying goodbye to its CEO, Unity decides 'Runtime Fees' are a bad idea so it's getting rid of them
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-year-after-outraging-developers-blowing-up-its-reputation-and-saying-goodbye-to-its-ceo-unity-decides-runtime-fees-are-a-bad-idea-so-its-getting-rid-of-them/
A year after announcing a new "Runtime Fee" pricing scheme that outraged large swaths of the game development community and ultimately led to the resignation of then-CEO John Riccitiello, Unity has decided that it was actually a bad idea in hindsight, and so it's cancelling the whole thing.
"After deep consultation with our community, customers, and partners, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Runtime Fee for our games customers, effective immediately," CEO Matt Bromberg wrote in today's announcement. "Non-gaming industry customers are not impacted by this modification.
(...)
As a result, Unity is reverting to a "more traditional cycle" of considering pricing changes only on an annual basis; if the terms of use change in future releases, users will be free to continue using their current version of the software under the existing terms.

If you get kicked out of your Steam Family, the slot is locked for a year, so you'd better get along—here's how Steam's new family sharing system works
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steam-families-launch-faq/
Steam's old Family Sharing feature, which allowed members of the same household to play each other's Steam games, has been replaced with the new Steam Families system, which graduated from beta this week. The revamped system does the same thing as the old one, but adds new features and comes with some new stipulations, including a region restriction. 
Up to six people can be part of a Steam Family, and every game in each member's library is shared with the group (except for games the owner marked "private" in the properties menu, but if that were a feature I was going to rely on, I'd probably test it to be sure). Only one person can play any given copy of a game at a time, and everyone's cloud saves, achievements, and Steam Workshop installs are independent of each other. A new parental control system allows adults in the group to decide what children can play, and there's also a new way for adults to purchase games for kids in their Steam Family, which looks convenient.
There are also quite a few rules and conditions to consider. The biggest stipulation is that you can't hop around between Steam Families as often as you want. You'll only be able to start or join a new Family if at least a year has passed since you started or joined your previous Family. There's also a one-year "cooldown" on each of the six available slots in a Steam Family, so if someone vacates a slot you can't immediately put someone else in their place.
It's not mentioned explicitly in the FAQ, but one thing we've noticed is that the region restriction present in the Families beta, which wasn't in the old system, is still present. One PC Gamer writer's attempt to share games across national borders (between the UK and Spain) didn't work. You can still set up a Steam Family with people who live in different physical homes in the same region, but Valve would prefer it if sharing were limited to "a household."
>> To be clear, this is an opt-in feature for publishers and/or developers. Not all games will work with Steam Families.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New HD Texture Pack for Bloodborne PC overhauls all armors
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-hd-texture-pack-for-bloodborne-pc-overhauls-all-armors/
Earlier this month, we informed you about an HD Texture Pack for Bloodborne that aimed to overhaul some of the game’s textures. And today, we present you the second big HD Texture Pack for it. As the title suggests, this pack, which is around 10GB in size, will overhaul all of the game’s textures.
Going into more details, modder ‘Giorma’ used AI tools in order to upscale the original textures. As such, the new ones retain the art style of the original textures. Moreover, the modder plans to upscale all of the weapons in an upcoming update.
PC gamers can download this pack from this link, and use it with shadPS4. According to reports, you can play Bloodborne from start to finish on shadPS4. Although emulation is not perfect, there doesn’t appear to be any game-progress issue.
Not only that but shadPS4 can now also run other 3D games. Gravity Rush Remastered is one of them. GRR is not fully playable. However, it can go in-game with the latest version of this PS4 emulator. Performance also appears to be great, something that caught me off guard. I’ve included a video from it below. So, go ahead and take a look at it.
>> The article has a 4 minutes video, but it focuses on Gravity Rush Remastered.

GAMING NEWS

LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP is a barebones PC port, and quite demanding at 4K
https://www.dsogaming.com/articles/lollipop-chainsaw-repop-is-a-barebones-pc-port-quite-demanding-at-4k/
LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP came out yesterday on PC. And, to be honest, I wasn’t planning on making a PC Performance Analysis for it. Until I tried it out. From the looks of it, LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP is a demanding game on PC.

Friday news, part two:

The PC Gaming Show returns December 5 with a sleigh full of the latest and greatest PC games
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/the-pc-gaming-show-returns-december-5-with-a-sleigh-full-of-the-latest-and-greatest-pc-games/
It's arriving in December and represents a festival of togetherness that enraptures families the world over. That's right: The PC Gaming Show is back, and it's bringing a hefty sack of videogame magic when it hits this December 5.

The next Helldivers 2 Warbond is almost certainly a violation of international humanitarian law
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-next-helldivers-2-warbond-is-almost-certainly-a-violation-of-international-humanitarian-law/
The next Helldivers 2 premium Warbond is coming later this month, bringing new stratagems, cosmetics, capes, and what would undoubtedly be cause for international outcry if Super Earth had anything like the Geneva Conventions. "Chemical Agents," revealed today on the official PlayStation blog, brings a new allotment of Helldiver ordnance focused on spraying poisonous gas, which would be horrifying in just about any other context. But against the Terminids, it's basically just fumigation on a bigger scale, right?

European Consumer Organization alleges game companies including Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic, and Ubisoft are 'tricking' consumers with premium in-game currencies
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/european-consumer-organization-alleges-game-companies-including-activision-electronic-arts-epic-and-ubisoft-are-tricking-consumers-with-premium-in-game-currencies/
The European Consumer Organization, along with 22 member organizations from 17 countries, has filed a complaint with the authorities who enforce EU consumer protection laws accusing Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Ubisoft, and other major game companies of "purposefully tricking consumers" with in-game currencies that are "used to confuse and disconnect consumers from the real value of their in-game spending."
>> I’m shocked. Shocked! (that it took this long for someone to make something about it)

Someone just discovered that Balatro's 'Misprint' joker has been sending us secret messages this whole time
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/someone-just-discovered-that-balatros-misprint-joker-has-been-sending-us-secret-messages-this-whole-time/
Misprint is sort of an average joker in Balatro. The card, which looks like it got badly streaked coming out of the color printer, offers a random multiplier between 0 and 23, which averages out at 11.5. That's not a bad mult in the early game, but I rarely buy Misprint anymore, and when I do, I usually don't hang onto it for very long. There are far better jokers out there.
However. Misprint has been hiding a naughty little secret all this time, and it's apparently taken seven months since Balatro launched for someone to finally notice it. When you look at it, Misprint isn't just cycling through a random multiplier, it's also trying to help you cheat. Watch closely, and it will reveal the rank and suit of the next card you'll be dealt.

Kentucky Route Zero and Stray publisher Annapurna Interactive has collapsed, with its entire staff quitting en masse
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/kentucky-route-zero-and-stray-publisher-annapurna-interactive-has-collapsed-with-its-entire-staff-quitting-en-masse/
According to the Hollywood Reporter and Bloomberg, prolific videogame publisher Annapurna Interactive has functionally collapsed, with its senior leadership team and the entirety of its over 20-person staff resigning. The shocking move leaves the future of Annapurna's active development deals⁠ in question.
>> According to the article in our front page, the deals will be kept and are not in danger.

Deadlock matchmaking is now open 24/7—plus there's a new, snazzier minimap and a low priority queue for sinners
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlock-matchmaking-is-now-open-24-7-plus-there-s-a-new-snazzier-minimap-and-a-low-priority-queue-for-sinners/
Deadlock, Valve's not-so-secret anymore MOBA, has done away with its playtest time restrictions, as per an update that dropped yesterday.
(...)
Well, no longer: "Matchmaking is now open 24/7 for all regions," read the patch notes. Funnily enough, the in-game server status window just reads: "Status:" with nothing to the right of it. What is the status of Deadlock? That's classified.
>> I know it’s hard to believe, but Team Fortress 2 fans are not happy with with Deadlock.

WoW: The War Within's new mini dungeons are annihilating solo players while groups sleepwalk through them for 'free' loot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-the-war-within-s-new-mini-dungeons-are-annihilating-solo-players-while-groups-sleepwalk-through-them-for-free-loot/
Delves are World of Warcraft's new mini dungeons that can be done solo, and they reward some of the best loot in The War Within's first season. But players have found that they're exponentially harder alone than with a group, which has squashed the hope that they would be a new solo alternative to normal endgame activities like raids and Mythic+ dungeons.
>> And the latest hotfix to address that, has made things worse.

All Zenless Zone Zero codes from the 1.2 livestream
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/zenless-zone-zero-1-2-livestream-codes/
The Zenless Zone Zero 1.2 livestream codes are here, or to be more accurate, it's usually one single super code with these special programs. For some reason, miHoYo gives out three codes for all of its other games, but just one chunky one for ZZZ—who can say why? Either way, redeeming this code will get you some Polychrome you can use to try for the new characters in its upcoming version 1.2.

Tony Hawk eats magical truth-telling salad, immediately confirms he and Activision have got something cooking for the first time since Vicarious Visions got swallowed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/tony-hawk-eats-magical-truth-telling-salad-immediately-confirms-he-and-activision-have-got-something-cooking-for-the-first-time-since-vicarious-visions-got-swallowed/
Activision's made a lot of bad choices over the years, but few of them sting more for me personally than its decision to merge remake studio Vicarious Visions with Blizzard, killing plans for future Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remakes with the stroke of a pen.
But there might be some justice in the world, because the Hawk himself has been dropping hints that the series isn't as dead as it might seem. In a chat with Mythical Kitchen (via Kotaku)—in between bites of an enormous mesa of Chinese chicken salad—Hawk dropped that he's apparently been back in touch with Activision recently. What's more, there's something cooking.

And here are the weekend deals from GOG and Steam:

+GOG

• GOG has 9 Limited Time Offers that will end in 70 hours, and the first one is KING OF THE MONSTERS 2: THE NEXT THING, 19% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/king_of_the_monsters_2_the_next_thing
• MUTATION NATION also has a 19% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/mutation_nation
• Conflict: Europe gets a 65% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/conflict_europe
• Avadon 2: The Corruption features a 70% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/avadon_2_the_corruption
• Voodolls is going to be 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/voodolls
• Dangerous Waters is 80% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/dangerous_waters
• O.R.B.: Off-World Resource Base gets an 89% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/orb_offworld_resource_base
• Warrior Kings is also going to be 89% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/warrior_kings
• The last one is Steel Rats, with a 90% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/steel_rats

+Steam

• Hubris will be 65% off until September 19: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1265800/Hubris/
• The Playstation Publisher Sale features up to 75% discounts until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/PlayStationPublisherSale2024
• The Forza franchise is on sale, with the games being between 50 and 80% off until the September, the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/ForzaFranchise2024
• Turmoil will be 80% off until the same 19th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/361280/Turmoil/
• Bohemia Interactive celebrates its 25th Anniversary Sale, with up to 80% discounts until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Bohemia2024
• The Frostpunk franchise is on sale with up to 90% deals until the 21st of September: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/frostpunk
• V Rising will be free to try during the weekend and 30% off until September 24: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604030/V_Rising/
• Gunfire Reborn will feature a 35% discount until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1217060/Gunfire_Reborn/
• Nightingale, still in Early Access, is going to be 40% off until September 26: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1928980/Nightingale/
• The Early Access title Hellish Quart gets a 45% discount until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000360/Hellish_Quart/
• And Paleo Pines, that has a demo, will be 55% off until the 26th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1202200/Paleo_Pines/

That's all folks! Until next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Ended up grabbing Killer 7, rift apart and spiderman.

Congratulations! At this rate you'll some day join Conina and Basil up there, with thousands of games in your library. There's no chance you'll manage to get up there with hellobion2, tho.

And don't worry, you'll have another chance to grab the others during the Autumn Sale, or the Winter Sale (so you can get some cards, and maybe a badge, from your purchases),.or one of the many other sales that take place during the year, like the "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Fest" that will start on Monday.

Probably a big part of the reason was that they had to check first if there's an angle they can play legally, since those companies tend to vet all such decisions through their own legal departments. In other words, they found a loophole through which they could attack those companies.