Friday news, the second, and longer than usual, part:
Former Arkane designer says Dishonored 2 cost more to make than Skyrim, and while it didn't meet Bethesda's sales expectations, the series' reputation still 'saved the studio'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/former-arkane-designer-says-dishonored-2-cost-more-to-make-than-skyrim-and-while-it-didnt-meet-bethesdas-sales-expectations-the-series-reputation-still-saved-the-studio/
Dishonored 2—one of the best immersive sims ever made—did not sell as well as a game of its pedigree or impressiveness really deserved. And if it wasn't for the reputation of the series, which offered it a "seal-of-quality protection", and Arkane's history of arguably making Bethesda's "most refined games", the studio might not be around today.
This is according to former Arkane Lyon designer Julien Eveillé, who started as a QA on Dishonored 2 before joining the design team for the series' final game Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. Despite being a superb follow-up, it similarly did not have the impact both Arkane and Bethesda might have hoped for.
>> Reputation only goes so far. You need money to keep paying the bills… tho not meeting sales expectations doesn’t mean that it lost money.
South of Midnight, the Southern Gothic soulslike where folktales are real, is coming in April
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/south-of-midnight-the-southern-gothic-soulslike-where-folktales-are-real-is-coming-in-april/
South of Midnight, the new game coming from We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games, made an appearance at today's Xbox Direct showcase to reveal more about its "darkly magical world" set in the Deep South of the US. Also revealed is the release date: It's set to come out on April 8.
The head of WB Games is stepping down and the first person to mention Suicide Squad gets a cookie
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-head-of-wb-games-is-stepping-down-and-the-first-person-to-mention-suicide-squad-gets-a-cookie/
The head of Warner Bros Games, David Haddad, is leaving the role after 12 years. Haddad will continue as Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment president for three months as WB searches for his successor. The news was broken by Variety, which adds that a source insists there are no plans for WB to sell off its games division, something that possibly feels like it shouldn't have needed saying?
'I like making Doom games': Doom: The Dark Ages won't be the end, says director Hugo Martin
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/i-like-making-doom-games-doom-the-dark-ages-wont-be-the-end-says-director-hugo-martin/
Doom has been with us for a long time. The original arrived in 1993—32 years ago, if you can believe it—and after a pair of sequels and a long stretch of silence, it returned in 2016 with a powerful reboot that cemented its claim as gaming's greatest FPS. Now the sixth game in the series, Doom: The Dark Ages, is almost upon us, and with trilogies being a popular thing in popular media, you might reasonably wonder if it represents a conclusion of any sort. The answer, according to id Software creative director Hugo Martin, is a simple no.
>> Talking about the early games, this game should feel more like the originals.
Doom: The Dark Ages has no multiplayer: 'Our campaigns are, to a great extent, what people come to the modern Doom games to play'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/doom-the-dark-ages-has-no-multiplayer-our-campaigns-are-to-a-great-extent-what-people-come-to-the-modern-doom-games-to-play/
Doom: The Dark Ages has just about everything you'd expect in a Doom game. It's got demons, it's got guns, it's got a huge guy who loves to rip and tear. The one thing it doesn't have is multiplayer: Studio chief Marty Stratton said id Software decided to forego a multiplayer component so it could focus on making the "biggest and best" Doom campaign possible.
>> It won’t have multiplayer, but it will have overhauled Glory Kills.
Tiny Garden is an adorable Polly Pocket-sized farm sim where you crank a handle to grow crops
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/tiny-garden-is-an-adorable-polly-pocket-sized-farm-sim-where-you-crank-a-handle-to-grow-crops/
Cozy farm sim games just keep getting tinier these days. Small enough to dock to the bottom of your monitor like Rusty's Retirement, and in the case of Tiny Garden, small enough to fit inside a Polly Pocket-looking little capsule toy.
Dwarf Fortress finally got its roguelike Adventure Mode on Steam, so if you'll excuse me, I've got to go fire up a fresh wombat man
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/dwarf-fortress-finally-got-its-roguelike-adventure-mode-on-steam-so-if-youll-excuse-me-ive-got-to-go-fire-up-a-fresh-wombat-man/
Back in December 2022, I wrote in our Dwarf Fortress review that its Steam release is "a worthy revision of the legendary settlement sim." And I stand by that. But there was something missing: The beloved Adventure Mode, which let Dwarf Fortress Classic players trade their mountainhome management for wandering the procedural world in traditional roguelike fashion—until some kind of ogre or colossus inevitably punched your skull in. Two years later—or almost a year after the mode became available in not-quite-complete beta form on Steam—the wait is finally over. The fully-fledged Adventure Mode dropped today, and it's waiting for you to grab your heroic destiny by its individual teeth.
The new off-road exploration game from the makers of Art of Rally looks like Mudrunner meets Firewatch, and I can't wait to get behind the wheel
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/the-new-off-road-exploration-game-from-the-makers-of-art-of-rally-looks-like-mudrunner-meets-firewatch-and-i-cant-wait-to-get-behind-the-wheel/
After releasing stylized racing games based on drifting, rallying, and Formula 1, Funselektor is heading off the track and into the wilderness with Over the Hill, an off-road driving and exploration game that sounds considerably more laid back than the studio's previous releases.
All Genshin Impact 5.4 livestream codes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/genshin-impact-codes-5-4-livestream/
The Genshin Impact 5.4 codes are just another way you can add a few extra Primogems to your stash in advance of the game's next update. For those who've played the game a while, you know the drill, but for anyone new to the RPG, let me explain. Every six weeks miHoYo hosts a livestream for each of its games, showing off what's arriving in the next update, including characters, quests, and events.
Yoshi-P says FF14 team is 'discussing' options to fight mod that can be used for stalking, like 'legal action' and, uh, asking them to stop
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/yoshi-p-says-ff14-team-is-discussing-options-to-fight-mod-that-can-be-used-for-stalking-like-legal-action-and-uh-asking-them-to-stop/
Final Fantasy 14's community has been frayed at the edges recently, as widespread awareness of a modding tool that allows stalkers—an issue FF14 has had for a while—to have access to every alternate character on their target's account.
(...)
Game director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) responded to the community's concerns via the Lodestone forums yesterday. The post explains that: "The Development and Operations teams are aware of the situation and the concerns being raised by the community and are discussing the following options."
Palworld studio's first move as a publisher is to save a struggling indie dev: 'This is the energy I want to see driving games in 2025'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/game-development/palworld-studios-first-move-as-a-publisher-is-to-save-a-struggling-indie-dev-this-is-the-energy-i-want-to-see-driving-games-in-2025/
Pocketpair, the developers behind Palworld, has announced its first project as a publisher—a new horror game alongside Surgent Studios. This comes a few months after the studio responsible for Tales of Kenzera: Zau put its team on notice for redundancy.
"We noticed a pattern in the entertainment industry, and Pocketpair has given us the opportunity to make a horror game about it," Surgent Studios CEO Abubakar Salim says in a press release. "Both Surgent and Pocketpair are well-versed in taking risks. This game will be short and weird, and we think players will be interested in what we have to say."
Dataminers turn up potential details on WoW's upcoming player housing feature—from the Cataclysm Classic PTR, of all places
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/dataminers-turn-up-potential-details-on-wows-upcoming-player-housing-feature-from-the-cataclysm-classic-ptr-of-all-places/
The dataminers appear to have struck some hypothetical gold while panning for details in, bemusingly, Cataclysm Classic's public test realm (PTR) of all places. In case you aren't in the know, player housing—an oft-requested feature of the 20 year old MMO—is absolutely coming to World of Warcraft in the game's next expansion, Midnight. The only question is, what's it gonna all look like?
And here are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:
+GOG
+Steam
And that’s. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.
Currently Online 
Essay Pro