It's almost like Nvidia's feigning disinterest in the games industry wasn't that apparent. I've noticed ever since they started showing off AI being coupled with cards that I knew we were going to see them dropping cheaper made cards and a reliance on brute forcing.

Now it just looks like they want to make cards for work, instead of gaming, and the expensive cards look to be showing that focal shift. Again, this is just depressing to hear. 

Yeah, their fabs must be bleeding multiple billions and their margins on both HPC and consumer pretty low due to AMD's competition (also compounded by the former).

Ideally, AMD and Intel would come to a pal's agreement to raise their margins but I suppose the threat of possible ARM competition precludes that, at least until both have an alternative RISC architecture to offer.

Lots of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 & 5090D GPUs Are Getting Bricked, Possibly Due To Driver, BIOS or PCIe Issues

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5090-5090d-gpus-getting-bricked-possibly-driver-bios-pcie-issues/

Seems to be a lot of random issues. It will be interesting to see if it turns into something.

AMD Instinct MI400 Spotted In Latest Patches, Will Feature Up To 8 Chiplets On Dual Interposer Dies

https://wccftech.com/amd-instinct-mi400-spotted-feature-up-to-8-chiplets-on-dual-interposer-dies/

AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 3D V-Cache gaming laptop with RTX 5090 now available for preorder starting at 3860 EUR

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-9-9955hx3d-3d-v-cache-gaming-laptop-with-rtx-5090-now-available-for-preorder-starting-at-3860-eur

UK retailer expects next GeForce RTX 5090 shipments in 3 to 16 weeks

https://videocardz.com/newz/uk-retailer-expects-next-geforce-rtx-5090-shipments-in-3-to-16-weeks

MANLI RTX 5080 Gallardo “Drag Reduction System” and voice controlled RGB tested

https://videocardz.com/newz/manli-rtx-5080-gallardo-drag-reduction-system-and-voice-controlled-rgb-tested

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060/5060 Ti expected for March 2025 release by Colorful’s main supplier

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5060-5060-ti-expected-for-march-2025-release-by-colorfuls-main-supplier

GeForce NOW celebrates its 5th anniversary

https://videocardz.com/newz/geforce-now-celebrates-its-5th-anniversary

RX 7900 XTX is rapidly going out of stock across major retailers following the RTX 50 series launch

https://www.pcguide.com/news/rx-7900-xtx-is-rapidly-going-out-of-stock-across-major-retailers-following-the-rtx-50-series-launch/

Let’s check the Monday news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam has three new deals:

• Publisher Armor Games puts its titles on sale with up to 90% discounts until February 9: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/ArmorGamesPublisherSale2025
• To celebrate the launch of thr sequel, the Citizen Sleeper franchise is on sale, with games up to 70% off until the 14th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/fellowtraveller/sale/citizensleeper
• And Dune: Imperium feature a 25% discount until the 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1689500/Dune_Imperium/

Fanatical’s New Year Sale is over, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have other deals for us:

• The new Star Deal is INDIKA, 45% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/indika
• Publisher 505 Games has puts its titles on sale with up to 92% deals. Be aware that some deals will last 6 days while others will lasti up to 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/505-games

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Sony is trying to take down the 60FPS patch for Bloodborne, but you can still download it
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/sony-is-trying-to-take-down-the-60fps-patch-for-bloodborne-but-you-can-still-download-it/
On January 21st 2021, Lance McDonald released a 60FPS patch for Bloodborne that you could use on PS4, PS5 and PC (via shadPS4). However, after more than four years, Sony is trying to take down this patch/mod.
Sony sent McDonald a DMCA takedown notification, asking him to remove all links to the patch. To the surprise of no one, the modder complied. However, someone has uploaded the patch to archive.org so that everyone can download it.
As of right now, the Bloodborne 60FPS Patch is still available for download from this link. And, since I don’t know whether it will stay live for long, I suggest downloading it while you still can.

Skyrim just got a free NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/skyrim-just-got-a-free-nvidia-dlss-3-frame-generation-mod/
Modder ‘doodlum’ has released a new mod for Skyrim Special Edition that adds support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation. Thanks to this mod, owners of an RTX40 or RTX50 series GPU will be able to enjoy the game with higher framerates.
Going into more details, this mod uses Streamline Integration Framework to add DLSS Frame Gen to Skyrim. For DX11 compatibility, an older version of Streamline is used, alongside a slightly outdated DLSSG DLL.
Do note that this mod does not add support for Multi-Frame Gen or Reflex 1/2. It only brings support for the classic DLSS 3 Frame Gen tech. Ideally, you should use this mod with a base framerate of 60+FPS. Do not use it if you are below 40FPS, otherwise you’ll get a laggier experience.
For those wondering, yes. Smooth Motion should also work with Skyrim Special Edition. After all, NVIDIA has already included a game profile for it in the NVIDIA App, and the game uses the DX11 API. So, if you have an RTX50 series GPU, I strongly recommend trying Smooth Motion with it.
>> The article has no media.

New 4K Mod for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Overhauls 1300 Textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-4k-mod-for-final-fantasy-7-rebirth-overhauls-1300-textures/
Modder ‘Romi’ has just released a must-have 11GB 4K Texture Pack for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This pack focuses on the game’s environments, and it will overhaul around 1300 textures in total. So, let’s take a closer look at it, shall we?
This 4K Mod will overhaul trees, cliffs, rocks, stones, ground, grass, flowers and puddles. As such, it will make the game look better than before. And, given the fact that a lot of textures looked blurry in the vanilla game, I highly recommend trying it.
As the modder noted, this pack comes with a 5-15% performance hit on both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs. I also suggest using it on GPUs that have enough VRAM. The modder claims that the pack should work with GPUs that have 12GB of VRAM. However, he highly recommends an SSD as he’s seen upwards of 700mb/s disk usage.
>> In the article you’ll find some comparison screenshots.

Here's an Elden Ring mod to give you the rad moveset of Sekiro boss Great Shinobi Owl
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/heres-an-elden-ring-mod-to-give-you-the-rad-moveset-of-sekiro-boss-great-shinobi-owl/
This impressive Elden Ring mod adds an extra-large katana with unique one- and two-hand movesets inspired by badass Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice boss Great Shinobi Owl. The grizzled old ninja of Sekiro tosses shuriken, throws great slashing blows, and characteristically leaps about acrobatically while doing all of it.
The Elden Ring Mod Great Shinobi Blade - Owl Moveset by cleverraptor6 is an impressive homage to Owl that lets you do many of his coolest tricks. Most notably, when holding it in one-handed grip you throw shurikens at your enemy as both light and heavy attacks, while when it's gripped two-handed you swap to a full-fledged sword moveset with a unique combat style. It's a range of versatility you don't get with a lot of Elden Ring weapons.
The mod also enhances your jump with a spinning stomp that lets you backflip off opponents to attack from midair. It also replaces your block with a deflect that reduces damage and stamina loss, à la Sekiro, and allows for fast counterattacks. Finally, there's a variety of heavy attack feints to drop back from opponents while throwing a wide spread of shuriken.
Perhaps most impressive is the skill that lets you vanish into a misty cloud as a quick evasion before reappearing with a hard-hitting downward strike, which then turns to either evasion or attack—you can see a player using it to great effect against Malenia's waterfowl dance in the video above.
>> There’s an over 3 minutes video in the article.

GAMING NEWS

First Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC patch released to fix crashes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-marvels-spider-man-2-pc-patch-released-to-fix-crashes/
Nixxes has just released the first PC patch for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. According to the devs, Title Update 1.31.0.0 aims to resolve the crashes that plagued the game at launch. As such, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 should be more stable on your PC.
>> If you want to learn more about the crashes and other problems the game had at launch, PCGamer has this article. And here’s one of the suspected culprits: DirectStorage.

First Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC Update Released, Is 17GB, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-final-fantasy-7-rebirth-pc-update-released-is-17gb-full-patch-notes/
Square Enix has just released the first title update for the PC version of Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and shared its full patch notes. This first patch is 17.7GB in size on Steam, so let’s see what it brings to the table.

Hmm...I wonder how much the jump in 7900XTX sales has to do with it excelling in some AI tasks. The large VRAM pool at less than $1000 has to be enticing. I wonder if AMD still producing them?

The writers at PCGamer have been busy this weekend. Brace yourselves for the onslaught of news:

Arrowhead CEO says Games Workshop 'would love' a 40K Helldivers 2 crossover, 'but time and resources are finite and we've got our hands busy'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arrowhead-ceo-says-games-workshop-would-love-a-40k-helldivers-2-crossover-but-time-and-resources-are-finite-and-weve-got-our-hands-busy/
Helldivers 2 did its first crossover event with Killzone, recently, and it didn't go too well. (…)
Still, that's just a monetisation problem, and it'll be easily solved in future updates as Arrowhead experiments—and while the game doesn't want to become the Fortnite of grimdark futures or anything, there's one obvious crossover that'd be an intergalactic no brainer: Warhammer 40k.
During an impromptu Q&A session on the Helldivers 2 Discord (thanks, GamesRadar) CEO Shams Jorjani was quick to swat down assumptions that this hasn't come to fruition yet because Games Workshop, the wargame's creators, are a bunch of gits who don't want to share their IP. In fact, quite the opposite.

The Sims and The Sims 2 re-releases finally arrive today after weeks of hints and leaks
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-1-and-the-sims-2-re-releases-finally-arrive-today-after-weeks-of-hints-and-leaks/
After way too many leaks, theories, and teasers, the news is finally for-real official: The Sims and The Sims 2 are both being re-released. The Sims is continuing on in its celebration of the series' 25th anniversary, which is officially on February 4 this year, by bringing back the first two games so those of us with nostalgia for the old days—and those who weren't alive in the old days—can all enjoy them together.
>> Sadly, the relaunch hasn’t gone very smoothly.

'On a pirate ship, they'd toss the captain overboard': Larian head of publishing tears into EA after BioWare layoffs waste 'institutional knowledge'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/on-a-pirate-ship-theyd-toss-the-captain-overboard-larian-head-of-publishing-tears-into-ea-after-bioware-layoffs-waste-institutional-knowledge/
So, BioWare probably isn't going to be making a new Dragon Age game any time soon—maybe ever, depending on how things go. After Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed, much of its team (including senior members who had been making Dragon Age games for a while) were shuffled around or laid off.
This isn't necessarily out of nowhere. As quite accurately called by consultant and former BioWare vet Mark Darrah, almost prophetically, this marks the first time the studio's only had one major project to focus on. He rather optimistically stated that these devs would find their way to other EA studios, and that the challenge would be involved in trying to get them back. Turns out, he was partly right: A lot of them are just gone entirely.
(...)
That's a despondency shared by Michael Douse, publishing director of Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios, who took to X in a series of posts this week that more or less tore into EA for letting go of so much institutional talent. He writes
>> I’ll leave it to you to find out what he wrote, in the article.

Warner Bros. says that's all, folks for Multiversus: The next season will be its last, but you'll be able to play offline 'for the foreseeable future'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/warner-bros-says-thats-all-folks-for-multiversus-its-next-season-will-be-its-last-but-itll-be-playable-offline-for-the-foreseeable-future/
Multiversus, the WB Games Smash Bros.-style brawler that was brave enough to explore what it would be like if Samurai Jack and LeBron James met on the field of battle, is approaching the end of its long, strange road. Earlier today, WB Games announced on X that the game's fifth season, beginning next week on February 4, will "serve as the final update." It'll be brought offline and delisted from digital storefronts when the season ends on May 30, but WB Games says "players will be able to enjoy the game offline for the foreseeable future."
>> That long hiatus between the first launch, then the sudden delisting and the comeback didn’t help the game.

The new game from the Blasphemous devs is like if Commandos was a metroidvania set in a Spanish monastery, and also the Green Beret kept losing his mind
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-new-game-from-the-blasphemous-devs-is-like-if-commandos-was-a-metroidvania-set-in-a-spanish-monastery-and-also-the-green-beret-kept-losing-his-mind/
Do you have any of those games it feels like only you remember? For me, it's Prisoner of War, a third-person stealth/adventure thing on the original Xbox that saw you play a captured WW2 pilot trying to break out of prisons like Stalag Luft and Colditz. It had some neat ideas for 2002: the prison camps were relatively open and they ran on a schedule. That meant once you had your objective—steal a document, get a disguise—you had all sorts of different routes to complete it, but you'd need to be back in bed by morning roll call.
Kind of neat, although it did look like a Morrowind mod. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is I've been playing the demo for The Stone of Madness, the new game from the devs behind Blasphemous that sees you and a cohort of comrades try to bust out of an asylum in an 18th-century Spanish monastery. Which, yep, is exactly the kind of thing I'd expect the devs behind Blasphemous to make.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure warns players coming from 'other cozy games' not to do that cheat-y time travel stuff or risk corrupting their save files
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/hello-kitty-island-adventure-warns-players-coming-from-other-cozy-games-not-to-do-that-cheat-y-time-travel-stuff-or-risk-corrupting-their-save-files/
Hello Kitty Island Adventure arrived this week as the newest and cutest in the genre of 'games where you're stuck on an island with those licensed property characters you love' but hold your darn Turfys just a minute. HKIA has kicked off its PC launch with a warning that bringing your cheater-pants system date changing strats to this game could muck up your save file. So don't do it!

Elder Scrolls voice actor Wes Johnson shares message of thanks after waking from coma to $175K GoFundMe: 'I love you all. I'm not going anywhere'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/elder-scrolls-voice-actor-wes-johnson-shares-message-of-thanks-after-waking-from-coma-to-usd175k-gofundme-i-love-you-all-im-not-going-anywhere/
Wes Johnson, the actor whose voice permeates Bethesda's RPGs like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Skyrim, has addressed fans and friends as he recovers from being found "barely alive" in his hotel room last week.
The actor had travelled to Atlanta, where he was scheduled to host a benefit event for the National Alzheimer's Foundation. But when he didn't appear at the event, his wife Kim Johnson phoned the hotel where he was staying, where security discovered him unconscious, and medical technicians struggled to find a pulse. A GoFundMe page for Johnson's medical bills revealed he had been placed in a coma. Johnson has since emerged from that coma, as he explains in a video uploaded to the GoFundMe page.

Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 testers are whispering that a previously mediocre subclass is now an S-tier war god of infinite thunder smites, but there's no way it can last
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3-patch-8-testers-are-whispering-that-a-previously-mediocre-subclass-is-now-an-s-tier-war-god-of-infinite-thunder-smites-but-theres-no-way-it-can-last/
Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming deluge of new subclasses is practically as exciting as all the entirely new games we're about to get in February, and we're starting to get reports trickling in from loose-lipped Patch 8 stress testers about how those new subclasses work in action. One thing that really stands out to me among the r/BG3builds scuttlebut is the complete 180 Eldritch Knights have made.

Fallout: New Vegas lead writer returns to Obsidian after leaving 14 years ago, but before you ask, no, 'It's not FNV2'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/fallout-new-vegas-lead-writer-returns-to-obsidian-after-leaving-14-years-ago-but-before-you-ask-no-its-not-fnv2/
14 years after leaving Obsidian Entertainment to ply his trade on games including Guardians of Middle-earth, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Horizon Forbidden West, Fallout: New Vegas creative design lead John Gonzalez has returned. But don't get too excited, New Vegas fans, because he says it's not for New Vegas 2.

'It may seem like a whole new game': One of my favorite medieval city builders just got a huge update with a ton of new features
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/it-may-seem-like-a-whole-new-game-one-of-my-favorite-medieval-city-builders-just-got-a-huge-update-with-a-ton-of-new-features/
It's been a long road for medieval city builder Foundation, but after six years it's just launched out of early access and into version 1.0. I first tried it out in 2019, and it quickly became one of my favorites, a beautiful and chill builder that I return to every so often to see what's new.
And there's a lot that's new in the 1.0 update. So much that the developer, Polymorph Games, says "it may seem like a whole new game!" The update includes a new main menu and reworked UI, lots of difficulty customizations to tailor your experience, an editor to create and customize your own village banner, new tiers of residential buildings, an improved progression system, and lots more. Even the art has been overhauled for the launch. Here are the full patch notes.

Butcher's Creek is a short, sweet and brutal FPS video nasty from the maker of Dusk
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/butchers-creek-is-a-short-sweet-and-brutal-fps-video-nasty-from-the-maker-of-dusk/
Butcher's Creek should have been named Kill Streak. I mean, what else would you name a game about a man on a naked axe-murder rampage through a cult compound? Released just a few days ago, it's the sort of short, low-fi and pointedly horrible experience that its lone developer David Szymanski (Dusk, Iron Lung, Squirrel Stapler) is increasingly known for. Filthy, rusty, rough-edged horror adventures of movie length or less. Just long enough to get under your skin and have you turning them over in your head for a while.

Nightdive's remaster of Doom + Doom 2 gets multiplayer mod support, spectator mode for co-op play, and stops you from losing your mind searching for red doors
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/nightdives-remaster-of-doom-doom-2-gets-multiplayer-mod-support-spectator-mode-for-co-op-play-and-stops-you-from-losing-your-mind-searching-for-red-doors/
Nightdive's remaster of Doom + Doom 2 has given me hours of sweet demon-blasting joy since it launched in the middle of last year. (...)
It was a pretty comprehensive package, but Nightdive and Bethesda have continued to tinker away with it in the months since. This culminated in a new update that arrived earlier this week, which makes numerous smaller fixes and quality-of-life changes, but mainly adds support for multiplayer mods.

DeTechtive 2112 is a slick-looking cyberpunk shooter that seems great on paper but is really just Hotline Miami but worse
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/detechtive-2112-is-a-slick-looking-cyberpunk-shooter-that-seems-great-on-paper-but-is-really-just-hotline-miami-but-worse/
DeTechtive 2112 feels like a gorgeous set of environments looking for a game, if my casual run through the first half of its story missions is any indication. Developed by Turkish indie outfit M11 Studio, it's a stealthy isometric shooter about a depressed noir detective in a very snazzy jacket, solving crimes in post-WW3 England. I was eager to try it out when it dropped on Steam this week, but sadly I've got to deliver a warning rather than a recommendation.

Split Fiction's latest trailer shows off its side-stories, which let you fly through space and ride giant desert fish in worlds 'completely different' from the main adventure
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/split-fictions-latest-trailer-shows-off-its-side-stories-which-let-you-fly-through-space-and-ride-giant-desert-fish-in-worlds-completely-different-from-the-main-adventure/
Hazelight Studios' upcoming adventure Split Fiction does more than add a genre-blending twist to the cooperative action of It Takes Two. A newly released trailer shows that the follow-up to Josef Fares' wildly successful third-person platformer isn't a strictly linear affair. According to Fares, who provides the trailer's voiceover, players will be able to embark upon "side-stories" that are "completely different from the main adventure" as they explore the game's dual sci-fi and fantasy worlds.

Snowrunner follow-up RoadCraft shows off its roadbuilding and logistics automation in a new trailer, and I'm already in love with its mobile quarry
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/snowrunner-follow-up-roadcraft-shows-off-its-roadbuilding-and-logistics-automation-in-a-new-trailer-and-im-already-in-love-with-its-mobile-quarry/
I was wooed consistently through the latest trailer for RoadCraft, Saber Interactive's follow-up to Expeditions: Mudrunner about rebuilding infrastructure across global disaster zones, but it was the phrase "mobile quarry" that convinced me Roadcraft is the one. Quarries, as you may know, are generally static affairs, given they are literally the ground. But RoadCraft's portable mineral deposit lets you take a little chunk of our planet with you, processing the stone and refilling your trucks on the fly. Put a ring on it, Saber Interactive.

I didn't think Factorio needed swarms of robot ants, but the trailer for this upcoming factory sim has convinced me it missed a trick
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/i-didnt-think-factorio-needed-swarms-of-robot-ants-but-the-trailer-for-this-upcoming-factory-sim-has-convinced-me-it-missed-a-trick/
The last thing I need in my life is another factory game, if only because allowing any factory game into your life risks it being consumed entirely by its sprawling, hopelessly absorbing logistics puzzle. But then Cordyceps Collective went and mashed up Factorio with last year's colony simulation Empire of the Ants, and now I see I'm going to lose the second half of February to Microtopia.

Here comes the also long third part of the Monday news:

'Borderlands 4 does have some open-world-like features,' says Gearbox, before clarifying it isn't an open world game 'in the traditional use of that term'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/borderlands-4-does-have-some-open-world-like-features-says-gearbox-before-clarifying-it-isnt-an-open-world-game-in-the-traditional-use-of-that-term/
Last year, in an interview with Gamespot, Gearbox boss and professional amateur magician Randy Pitchford compared the upcoming Borderlands 4 to its predecessor. "With Borderlands 3, with the idea of going to different planets, it was more compartmentalized," he said. "It felt a little less open and free. Borderlands 4 is the most open and free ever".
More recently, Gearbox's senior project producer Anthony Nicholson told GamesRadar that while "Borderlands 4 does have some open-world-like features" including "seamless travel between zones" that doesn't mean we should expect, I dunno, Ubisoft towers or whatever tedious nonsense open world games are full of nowadays. He clarified that, "we did not set out with the intent to create an 'open world game' in the traditional use of that term."

EVE lays out a busy 2025 focusing on player customization and fan-favorite events
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/eve-lays-out-a-busy-2025-focusing-on-player-customization-and-fan-favorite-events/
Sandbox space MMO Eve Online is going strong in its third decade, with developer CCP Games outlining its slate of 2025 development plans in a recent stream. It'll feature two major expansions and the return of some much-loved fan favorite in-game events.

Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap will bring the Bermuda Triangle and Mount Everest to all players in March
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/civilization-7s-post-launch-roadmap-will-bring-the-bermuda-triangle-and-mount-everest-to-all-players-in-march/
As Civilization 7 rumbles ever closer toward launch, publisher 2k has begun detailing plans for after the strategy sequel arrives on February 11. In a special livestream earlier this week, the publisher unveiled Civ 7's roadmap for the rest of 2025, revealing two paid DLCs and two free updates landing between now and September, with "more to come" later in the year.

After a decade of delays, Defenders Quest 2 is finally out, bringing with it wild character designs and nostalgic tower defense shenanigans
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/after-a-decade-of-delays-defenders-quest-2-is-finally-out-bringing-with-it-wild-character-designs-and-nostalgic-tower-defense-shenanigans/
The first thought that popped into my head upon dipping my toes into Defender’s Quest 2: Mists of Ruin is that they don’t make tower defense games like this anymore. The second thought was that my tea was suddenly stone cold and that the past four hours had mysteriously disappeared. This is pure videogame comfort food, if you’ve even the slightest bit of nostalgia for the latter era of flash game design, and the boom of the indie scene. This may be a relic lost in time, after over a decade of delays, but it still shines bright.

Palworld developer 'blown away' by the response to its new publishing arm, which has received 150 game pitches just one week after opening
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-developer-blown-away-by-the-response-to-its-new-publishing-arm-which-has-received-150-game-pitches-just-one-week-after-opening/
Palworld developer Pocketpair launched a new publishing business last week, following the gargantuan success of its Pokémon-inspired survival game. The response was, shall we say, enthusiastic, with Pocketpair's comms director and publishing manager John Buckley stating he received 1,500 LinkedIn requests within 24 hours.
Now, one week after getting into the publishing business, Pocketpair has revealed the response goes far beyond LinkedIn requests. Posting on X (via GamesRadar) the official Pocketpair Publishing account explained it had received "400 emails, 150 pitches [and] 2000+ Linkedin requests" in the seven days since opening up to finance third-party titles. "We are blown away by the interest we have received from YOU, the developers," the post continued, assuring that "we're doing our best to review each request and pitch."

Techno Banter channels Yakuza and Bojack Horseman as you destroy club rejects with words
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/techno-banter-channels-yakuza-and-bojack-horseman-as-you-destroy-club-rejects-with-words/
If you want to get me invested in a dialogue-heavy game, there's worse ways to do it than invoking Monkey Island's insult battles. Techno Banter, freshly launched on Steam and GOG from Berlin-based indie outfit Dexai Arts does all that and a bag of chips, riffing off the man-about-town adventuring of the Yakuza series, and channelling the weird, rough-edged universe of Bojack Horseman. Hell of a mix for a game about being a humble Berlin techno club doorman.

Besiege celebrates a decade of building deadly contraptions with a reworked sandbox mode, adjusted level designs and slow-motion explosions
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/besiege-celebrates-a-decade-of-building-deadly-contraptions-with-a-reworked-sandbox-mode-adjusted-level-designs-and-slow-motion-explosions/
Besiege, the physics puzzler about building rickety siege contraptions, has officially been pummelling castle walls for ten long years. To celebrate, developer Spiderling Studios has an "exciting year" planned for the decade-old construction sim with "community events & future updates" coming throughout the next twelve months. The first of these updates is already here, making numerous additions and adjustments to the game.

Killing Floor 3 splatters onto PC on March 25, but you can get your hands dirty a month early via its closed beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/killing-floor-3-splatters-onto-pc-on-march-25-but-you-can-get-your-hands-dirty-a-month-early-via-its-closed-beta/
I hope you've got your mop ready, because Killing Floor 3 has officially announced its release date. Tripwire Interactive's zombie-blasting sequel will slop wetly on your PC in two month's time: The studio revealed the game's release date on its X channel, simply stating 'The battle begins on March 25'.

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser's new project looks like nothing special, to be perfectly honest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/rockstar-co-founder-dan-housers-new-project-looks-like-nothing-special-to-be-perfectly-honest/
Absurd Ventures, the game and creative studio started by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser back in 2021, has shown a first-look image of characters from its upcoming Absurdaverse setting, and announced an in-development game set there.

BioWare has reportedly lost at least half its staff, with fewer than 100 people left and the studio a ghost of its former self
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/bioware-has-reportedly-lost-at-least-half-its-staff-with-fewer-than-100-people-left-and-the-studio-a-ghost-of-its-former-self/
Bloomberg reports that, following EA's layoffs and restructuring at BioWare, the studio now has fewer than 100 employees, down from more than 200 during the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Meanwhile, at its peak, BioWare consisted of three studios and, conservatively, over 400 employees.

The best FPS of 2024 just got a surprise free update with 30 new maps, 9 new weapons, and just one cheeky cosmetic
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-best-fps-of-2024-just-got-a-surprise-free-update-with-30-new-maps-9-new-weapons-and-just-one-cheeky-cosmetic/
STRAFTAT, the winner of our Best FPS of 2024 award, has just come out with a beefy free update that consists of 30 new maps (plus three more for DLC-owning players), nine new weapons, new features and QoL tweaks, as well as a lone new suit for the arena shooter's delightfully ugly little potato men.

Marvel Rivals' ranked distribution for Season 1 is pretty evenly spread except for the 482,526 players just sat in Bronze 3
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-ranked-distribution-for-season-1-is-pretty-evenly-spread-except-for-the-482-526-players-just-sat-in-bronze-3/
Marvel Rivals Season 1 started off with a pretty serious rank reset that saw everyone go down at least seven levels from where they finished in Season 0. This was to prevent any stagnation and ensure everyone in the higher ranks are active in the game, but even still, the reset spread chaos throughout Season 1's ranks.
(...)
Currently, if you look at RivalsTracker, you can see a chart that shows the distribution of Marvel Rivals ranks only for PC. Silver and Gold have roughly the same number of players, with 418,426 players and 359,062 players, respectively. It's not until you get into Plat and above that you start to get a dwindling population. I'm one of 12,494 players in Diamond 2 right now, and Eternity is just sat with 24 players, while One Above All has 71 players right now. But the most impressive thing about this graph is just how many players are in Bronze 3, the lowest rank.

We're getting a warm and a cold cow in Minecraft, and even though it's not our beloved Moobloom, it's still a win for variant enjoyers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/were-getting-a-warm-and-a-cold-cow-in-minecraft-and-even-though-its-not-our-beloved-moobloom-its-still-a-win-for-variant-enjoyers/
Not long ago, we got the news that Minecraft would be getting a couple of new pig variants, the warm and the cold pig. Following that, we've just heard that cows will also be getting the same treatment, meaning we'll get fluffy highland Minecraft cows which you can test out before it gets added for good.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's developer is 'fed up' of being dragged into the culture war: 'It seems like someone is always trying to brand us somehow, and we are just trying to make a cool videogame'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-2s-developer-is-fed-up-of-being-dragged-into-the-culture-war-it-seems-like-someone-is-always-trying-to-brand-us-somehow-and-we-are-just-trying-to-make-a-cool-videogame/
"History rhymes. It's not repeating itself. It rhymes." Warhorse's global PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling is paraphrasing an aphorism often attributed to Mark Twain—though its origins are actually unknown. He is bemoaning the fact that, once again, the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 studio has found itself embroiled in the exhausting culture war.

There's a whole world of MMOs you probably don't know about, and the best way to play them just got basically its own Steam Workshop
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/theres-a-whole-world-of-mmos-you-probably-dont-know-about-and-the-best-way-to-play-them-just-got-basically-its-own-steam-workshop/
Unless you're one of the fewer-than-50 people who still play it regularly, there are solid odds you've never heard of Lusternia, Age of Ascension, a 21-year-old, free MMO that's been quietly, contentedly trundling along for most of this century. That's a shame, I reckon, because as someone who is decidedly 'not an MMO guy,' I've always loved it and the many, many games like it—games like Achaea, or Aardwolf, or Discworld, or Multi-users in Middle-earth. The simple scope of what you can do in a lot of them is staggering. Become a fighter, a performer, an explorer, or get stuck into the messy and labyrinthine player-controlled politics: guilds against guilds against cities against gods against philosophies against religions.
(...)
These are text games, baby. These are Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs): a more elegant MMO for a more civilised age, and what they lack in graphical fidelity they make up for in scope and ambition. That screenshot is my Lusternia character running in Mudlet, a client you can use to access the aforementioned games alongside, well, probably any of the 100 MUDs listed here and more besides. Anyway, I've just spent three(ish) paragraphs telling you what MUDs are because Mudlet just got a big update that makes them easier to get into than ever: a new mod organiser, updater, and downloader.
>> I think this article may hold the new links in an article record.

I knew I should have gotten an ultrawide... (slightly nsfw)

Spoiler!

Man, the last couple launches of Nvidia GPUs have been riddled with problems.

I don't think I've read about AMD stopping their production, and given that the newer cards aren't expected to surpass the 7900XTX, I don't see why AMD would stop making them. More so now that they've found a new demographic to sell them the card thanks to deepseek.