Friday gaming news, the second part:

Romero Games' new shooter loses funding, the studio may be closing, and it looks like Microsoft is to blame
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/romero-games-new-shooter-loses-funding-the-studio-may-be-closing-and-it-looks-like-microsoft-is-to-blame/
If you thought the latest tsunami of awfulness to crash over the videogame industry would be contained to yesterday, I have bad news. Romero Games, the studio founded in 2015 by industry legends Brenda and John Romero, announced today that funding for its latest project has been cut off, and it's been forced to lay off employees.

Marvel Rivals' updated hero hot list reveals the most-played and highest win-rate characters, and it's good news for Support players
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-updated-hero-hot-list-reveals-the-most-played-and-highest-win-rate-characters-and-its-good-news-for-support-players/
Every new season of Marvel Rivals brings more terrifying metas and heroes that manage to tower above the rest. And with just a week before Season 3 lands, NetEase has released an updated version of the hero hot list so everyone can compare notes and see which heroes they should jump on for the remaining second season.

Rematch's developers expected players to develop new tech fast, but 'not nearly as fast as it is going right now'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/rematchs-developers-expected-players-to-develop-new-tech-fast-but-not-nearly-as-fast-as-it-is-going-right-now/
I've been having a blast slowly crawling out of Bronze in Rematch (I'm Silver now, so I'm kind of a big deal). I've a few gripes, mind—some of which are the developer's fault, like the wonky netcode, while others are the player's fault, like that one guy who keeps spamming 'good job!' at me because I hit the post. I know I didn't do a good job. It's okay.
The developer Sloclap, who also made Sifu and Absolver, is keen to keep the game updated in the future. In a conversation with PCG's own Evan Lahti, co-founder Pierre Tarno and lead game designer Dylan Allen talked about their plans for the future.
>> Among those plans there’s an in-game report system or banning cheaters, to name a couple.

Brace yourself: Hades 2 just got what 'will likely be our final patch' before full release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/brace-yourself-hades-2-just-got-what-will-likely-be-our-final-patch-before-full-release/
On the long list of crimes for which I am responsible, a single entry is king: I have barely played more than an hour of Hades 1 in my life. Is it because I'm a bad person? Yes, but also I feel like I missed the boat on it a little bit. (...)
I'm in the door in time for Hades 2, though, which remains in early access and just dropped patch 10, consisting of all manner of tweaks and adjustments for Melinoe's no-good day in the underworld.
More tantalising, though, is the patch's preamble, where Supergiant says this will "likely be our final patch before our v1.0 launch." Sharp intake of my breath. My god, Hades 2's full release is just around the corner! But wait, Supergiant does follow up that sentence with "whenever that will be!" So maybe it's not happening by sunset.

MindsEye boss reportedly blames its failure on 'saboteurs' and says a re-launch is in the works, even as the entire development studio is at risk of layoff
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/mindseye-boss-reportedly-blames-its-failure-on-saboteurs-and-says-a-re-launch-is-in-the-works-even-as-the-entire-development-studio-is-at-risk-of-layoff/
The situation at MindsEye studio Build a Rocket Boy has taken another weird turn in the form of a video chat between founder Leslie Benzies and employees. According to an IGN report, Benzies has committed to a "re-launch" of MindsEye, presumably with the goal of setting the game on a redemption arc, even though the entire studio is at risk of being let go.

Before cancelling ZeniMax's Destiny-style MMO shooter, Xbox executives reportedly enjoyed early demos so much that the controller had to be pulled from Phil Spencer's hands
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/before-cancelling-zenimaxs-destiny-style-mmo-shooter-xbox-executives-reportedly-enjoyed-early-demos-so-much-that-the-controller-had-to-be-pulled-from-phil-spencers-hands/
Yesterday, Microsoft started its latest round of layoffs, aiming to eliminate 9,000 jobs after previously cutting more than 12,000 employees over the last two years. The latest downsizing has led to studio closures and game cancellations—including Blackbird, an unannounced MMO in development at ZeniMax that Xbox executives were reportedly thrilled about before abruptly killing the project.
>> If that’s not enough to realize how out of touch those execs are, here’s another face.palming example of it.

Stop Killing Games surges past its goals, but a possible signature spoofing campaign could cause trouble: 'This is not a Change.org petition. This is a government process'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/stop-killing-games-surges-past-its-goals-but-a-possible-signature-spoofing-campaign-could-cause-trouble-this-is-not-a-change-org-petition-this-is-a-government-process/
Less than two weeks ago, it looked like the Stop Killing Games initiative was in trouble: Founder Ross Scott said the deadlines for petitions filed in the EU and UK were rapidly approaching, but both were still far from the number of signatures required to take them to the next step. The situation has changed dramatically in the brief period since, though. Scott's warning earned attention, interest, and a pile of signatures, and both petitions have now passed their targets. But there's a problem.
(...)
The problem is that the million signatures on the EU petition may not actually be a million signatures. There are two reasons for this: Mistakes, which are unintentional but inevitable and will be discarded, and more worryingly, a potential spoofing campaign that could be flooding the petition with fake signatures. Scott told PC Gamer that he'd been sent screenshots of spoofing campaigns from sources including 4chan and Discord: "It could just be talk, but it's put us on more on guard," he said.

Surprise! The Anthem servers are still running—but they won't be after January 12
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/surprise-the-anthem-servers-are-still-running-but-they-wont-be-after-january-12/
Electronic Arts pulled the plug on Anthem in early 2021, finally putting an end to BioWare's ill-advised foray into the looter shooter genre. The game itself continued to run, though, quietly trundling along like an empty subway cleaving through the pre-dawn hours of a cold, forgotten Tuesday. But the ride is almost over.
"We have an important update to share regarding Anthem," Electronic Arts announced today. "After careful consideration, we will be sunsetting Anthem on January 12, 2026. This means that the game will still be playable online for the next 180+ days. As of today, you can no longer purchase in-game premium currency, but you can still use your remaining balance until the servers go offline.

Peak re-releases its next update aimed at improving stability and reassures players 'we don't have any issue with sharing video content, including modded stuff'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/peak-re-releases-its-next-update-aimed-at-improving-stability-and-reassures-players-we-dont-have-any-issue-with-sharing-video-content-including-modded-stuff/
Earlier this week, Peak developers Landcrab had to cycle back on a patch that was released to help improve stability. All the fixes worked, the only problem was that it somehow stopped a bunch of players from accessing the game. But now the devs have come back with the same patch with all of the fixes and none of the issues.

And here are the weekend deals at GOG and Steam

+GOG

• GOG’s Summer Sale runs its last weekend, as it will end next Wednesday: https://www.gog.com/

+Steam

• Steam’s Summer Sale celebrates its second and last weekend, as it will end this Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com

I love it when the weekend deals are so easy to do.

Anyway, that’s all for this week. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Some of those numbers don't make sense.

The overall results aren't that surprising, 71% Nvidia vs 28% AMD shows how Nvidia still dominates the market but, if true, it's a much better result than the 90 vs 10 numbers that JPR reports.

But then you look at the cards listed and some things start to look strange, like the 5060 selling only slightly better than the 5080 (is the former selling like crap or the second selling like hotcakes?), with the 3060 selling better than those two (maybe the 12GB make it more enticing to some users than the 5060 despite the performance difference).

And then, on the AMD side, the second best selling card after the 9070XT is... the 7600XT? Really? And the 9060XTs are the 5th best selling AMD card? Was supply that bad in the US or the prices so outrageous?

Anyway, I hope we get another article like this one next month, so we can compare it and see if there's any trend going on.

Even worse I found was that the next best-selling card after the 7600XT was the GT 1030, the crappiest of crap cards there is, at 1300 units sold. Seriously, who buys this crap? 😡

Indeed. Some of those sales are head scratching.

*Pats my Core 2 Quad PC with Geforce 1030 GDDR* He didn't mean it.

Reason for the 1030 having probably inflated sales numbers is due to the plethora of single slot, half height, PCI-E only powered (30watt) cards that can fit into slim workstation PC's for just a hundred bucks off ebay.

Perfect for Minecraft/Fortnite or whatever other esports titles are out today.

There needs to be a refresh of that, which the Radeon RX6400 provides, but due to it's castrated PCI-E lanes, isn't really appealing for those kinds of rigs anyway.

Sadly the Geforce GTX 1030 is still one of the best 30w or less GPU's you can get, almost 10 years after release... With the only competition being the Radeon RX 6300... Which was OEM only.

Intel Arrow Lake Refresh with higher clocks coming this half of the year

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arrow-lake-refresh-with-higher-clocks-coming-this-half-of-the-year

CPU-Z brings Ryzen Z2 series, 8000HX and RTX 5060/5050 series and 9060 XT support

https://videocardz.com/pixel/cpu-z-brings-ryzen-z2-series-8000hx-and-rtx-5060-5050-series-and-9060-xt-support

Modders quiet RTX 5080/5090 cards with 3D printed shrouds and Noctua, Phanteks fans

https://videocardz.com/newz/modders-quiet-rtx-5080-5090-cards-with-3d-printed-shrouds-and-noctua-phanteks-fans

Hardware Unboxed Clarifies That Its New RX 9070 XT Testing Was More About Review vs Latest “Data” Than “Drivers”

https://wccftech.com/hardware-unboxed-clarifies-that-its-new-rx-9070-xt-testing-was-more-about-review-vs-latest-data-than-drivers/

OLED Monitors Are Cheaper Than Ever: Get QHD 240Hz OLED Monitor At Just $479 And More Such High-End Monitors At Amazing Discounts At Newegg

https://wccftech.com/oled-monitors-are-cheaper-than-ever-newegg-fantastech-sale/

While it is technically an ad, I don't think I have seen OLED monitors go as low as $479 USD before.

Welcome to the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Humble Bundle has launched the Summer Games Done Quick 2025 Bundle, with 9 games to get during 11 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/summer-games-done-quick-2025.

Fanatical’s Star Deal is DAVE THE DIVER, 55% off. It started yesterday and will last another 24 hours (51% of keys remaining): https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dave-the-diver.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Valve's reported profit-per-head from Steam commissions is out there, and at $3.5 million per employee it makes Apple and Facebook look like a lemonade stand
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/valves-reported-profit-per-head-from-steam-commissions-is-out-there-and-at-usd3-5-million-per-employee-it-makes-apple-and-facebook-look-like-a-lemonade-stand/
Remember last year when leaked documents from a court case between Valve and indie dev Wolfire Games revealed that—per the calculations of its own data scientist Kristian Miller—Valve makes more money per head than Facebook, Apple, Netflix, and any other tech titan you care to name?
That was remarkable, as news days go, but there was some info missing: Miller's calculations for Valve's net income per employee was redacted, meaning we only could tell it was higher than Facebook's $780,400 net income per employee in second place (and much higher than Apple's $476,160 in third). How much bigger was uncertain.
But, as spotted by The Financial Times, one particular leaked document from the case got snatched back down before most people could notice it, one that supposedly shows Steam's commission revenues between 2009 and 2021.
(...)
Combine those figures and you get a 2021 operating profit of about $1.2 billion, just from Steam, in 2021 alone.
So let's do some maths. Those leaked court docs show that Valve had 336 employees in 2021. Some quick division would put the company's profit-per-head from Steam commissions alone at, um, $3.5 million.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This mod brings several features from Oblivion into Skyrim, including radiant dialogue, NPCs, and more
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-mod-brings-several-features-from-oblivion-into-skyrim-including-radiant-dialogue-npcs-and-more/
Oblivion and Skyrim fans, here is something for you today. Modder JobiWanUK has made a new mod for Skyrim that adds cool features from Oblivion. This includes things like radiant dialogue and NPCs that act more like they did in Oblivion.
With this mod, NPCs will engage in conversations when they get close to each other outdoors, in towns, and in cities. They will talk about mudcrabs, goblins, what books they’ve read, rumours from around Skyrim, and news from other parts of Tamriel. They will also discuss the weather.
All the conversations in the mod are random, with different greetings, comments, replies, and goodbyes. This means they change every time you talk to someone. Some voices will sound a bit grumpy. The mod works with 23 of the voice types from the original game, so most NPCs will talk like this, but not all. The mod uses the same lines from Oblivion when possible, but some had to be changed to match Skyrim’s story and world.
The conversations will also change based on where the NPC is and what race they are. For example, Redguards might talk about Hammerfell, and Imperials might mention Cyrodiil. There are also special rules – NPCs marked as spouses in the game won’t say random things or greet you like others. This will help make the game feel more real.
Right now, Echoes of Oblivion has almost 4,500 voice lines. It adds nine new NPCs based on characters from Oblivion. There’s also an optional pack that gives some of them better-looking faces. The NPCs will greet you using lines from Oblivion. Guards will say things about your stats if they are over 30, and they will also shout things during fights. There are also a few fun hidden secrets (Easter eggs) for you to find.
>> The article has an over 10 minutes video of the mod.

You can now use Lightsabers in Stellar Blade & Oblivion Remastered
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/you-can-now-use-lightsabers-in-stellar-blade-oblivion-remastered/
Star Wars fans, here is something for you today. Modders RayVVV and CosmicBoogaloo have released two simple but cool mods that allow you to use Lightsabers in Stellar Blade and Oblivion Remastered.
From what I can see, the mod for Stellar Blade is a simple drag and drop mod. On the other hand, the one for Oblivion Remastered requires some additional files. So, make sure to get all of them, otherwise the mod may not work correctly.
As I said, this is a simple mod that will replace specific weapons with a Lightsaber. Still, this is something that may interest our Star Wars fans. And, if you are one of them, you’ll definitely find it cool. Let’s now hope that someone will figure out a way to add to them a full dismemberment system.
>> There’s a short video of the Oblivion mod.

New Starfield mods add 76 locations, 10+ weapons & new enemies
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-starfield-mods-add-76-locations-10-weapons-new-enemies/
Modder polvovoss has released the last part of his “Permanent POIs” mod series for Starfield. This mod, called Permanent POIs – Rogue Science, adds 16 new places to explore, 5 new weapons, new enemies, and some cool new lore to the game.
Going into more details, the modder made sure the 16 new POIs always stay in the same place. He also added enemies to make exploring them more fun. In case you didn’t know, a POI stands for Point of Interest. To find these new POIs, you’ll need to travel to certain star systems where they can be seen from space.
The new POIs can be found in the Heisenberg, Schrodinger, and Newton systems. Just go there and look for “Structure” markers on planets while in orbit. The mod also works fine with other mods like GrindTerra and other POI mods. So, you can use them all together without any problems.
You can download Permanent POIs – Rogue Science from this link. You can also download the other parts of the Permanent POIs series from here, here, and here. In total, you’ll get 76 new locations, over 10 weapons, and lots of new enemies. So, make sure to get all of them.
>> There’s a slightly over 4 minutes video in the article.

GTA 5 Enhanced Edition just got a mod that makes fights with NPCs more diverse, dynamic, and interesting
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/gta-5-enhanced-edition-just-got-a-mod-that-makes-fights-with-npcs-more-diverse-dynamic-and-interesting/
Modders HJ and fitfondue have released a new mod for GTA 5 Enhanced Edition. This mod tries to make fights and violent interactions in the game more fun, diverse, and exciting. So, let’s take a closer look at what it does.
Ped Damage Overhaul V changes how NPCs act during fights. Now, they will hit harder, but they won’t shoot as accurately. When their health gets low, they become even less accurate. Also, shots to their arms or legs won’t hurt them as much. This makes battles feel more fun and realistic.
When their health decreases below a certain threshold, NPCs will fall over and won’t get back up. Then they go through three different stages of dying, each with its own randomized “behavior” (movement on the ground).
The mod also adds a new bleeding feature. This will make NPCs lose health after they have been fatally injured. It operates based on chance, so NPCs don’t all bleed out in the same amount of time.
Not only that, but NPCs will now try to react to different situations. For instance, they can panic, try to calm you, or beg for their lives. Oh, and you will be able to disarm all of the NPCs.
>> Like the other mod articles, this one also has a video.

GTA 5 Enhanced Edition DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/gta-5-enhanced-edition-dlss-4-multi-frame-gen-mod-released/
These past couple of days, we’ve shared some cool new mods for Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced Edition. And here is another great mod for it. PureDark has just released a new mod that adds support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Gen.
If you didn’t know, Title Update 1.71 for GTA 5 Enhanced Edition added official support for the Transformer Model of DLSS 4. However, it didn’t add support for Frame Gen or MFG. This kind of sucked. I don’t know why the devs have not added them. In theory, it should have been an easy task.
The good news is that this mod does work. By using it, you can enable both DLSS 4 Frame Gen and MFG. The bad news is that, like almost all the mods from PureDark, it’s put behind a Patreon wall. So, to download it, you’ll have to subscribe to its Patreon campaign. That’s why Rockstar should have added Frame Gen to the game. But hey, right now, the only alternative to enable them is via this paid mod.
As PureDark noted, only those who own an RTX-50 series GPU should use this mod. Those with an RTX-40 series GPU can use the DLSS 3 build which enables Frame Gen for those cards. Owners of all the other GPUs should stick to the FSR 3 Mod. That’s, of course, if you want to use Frame Gen. Otherwise, NVIDIA RTX owners can simply enjoy the DLSS 4 Transformer Model that the game already supports.
>> Unfortunately, this article has no media.

Half-Life Fan Remake, Black Mesa, Got an RTX Remix Path Tracing Demo Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/half-life-fan-remake-black-mesa-got-an-rtx-remix-path-tracing-demo-mod/
Modders xoxor4d and Beylerbey have released a demo mod for the Half-Life fan remake, Black Mesa. This mod uses RTX Remix to add Path Tracing, which makes the game look amazing. Right now, it only covers the initial parts of the game. Still, this is something that deserves your attention. At least in my opinion.
Going into more details, the mod updates the lighting for the whole tram ride at the start of the game and some parts of the lab. The modders also made five 3D models look better by using higher-quality textures (2K to 4K). They also created 10 brand-new 3D models that were only flat images in the original game. On top of that, they made 40 to 50 high-quality materials from scratch and updated about 100 more using different tools and methods.
To showcase the visual improvements of this mod, xoxor4d released the following video. The video compares the original version of Black Mesa with this new RTX Remix version. And, as you will see, the visual difference can be huge at times.
Black Mesa already looked better than the original Half-Life because it had improved lighting. But now, with RTX Remix and Path Tracing, it looks even greater. This shows how much better games can look with Path Tracing.
The cool thing is that the demo is available for download. So, if you own Black Mesa, you can go ahead and download the mod from this link.

New STALKER 2 Mod Brings Realistic Death Animations
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-stalker-2-mod-brings-realistic-death-animations/
Modder Shay released an Early Access version of his new mod for STALKER 2 that aims to bring to it realistic death animations. This mod is being made with the new SDK tools that GSC GameWorld released last month. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
By default, STALKER 2 has 26 different death animations based on 4 body parts. But many of them look very similar, and some are almost the same. So, this mod aims to change all the animations to make them look more real.
To showcase the new animations, the modder shared the following GIFs. These should give you an idea of what you can expect from it. From what I can see, the mod can make your fights with the enemies feel better than before. So, if you are still playing it, you should definitely try it.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link. The modder plans to release new versions of his mod whenever a new game update comes out. These new versions will cover new body parts. On full release, the mod will have 26 new realistic animations. These 26 animations will be for 4-5 body parts and from about 4 to 8 directions based on body part.
Do note that Patch 1.5 can cause some weird bugs and issues. Thus, you may see flying ragdolls, stuck NPCs after death in geometry, frozen bodies. As Shay said, these bugs are due to the Title Update. In other words, it can also happen in the vanilla version. They are not related in any way to the mod.

Academics critique Farming Simulator's portrayal of 'good farming' and praise modders for agro-ecology add-ons
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/academics-critique-farming-simulators-portrayal-of-good-farming-and-praise-modders-for-agro-ecology-add-ons/
It's sometimes weird to see what academics make of videogames, coming to the medium as they do with a very different set of principles and goals than most gamers and critics. One recent paper in the Journal of Rural Studies is about a game that's a phenomenon in its own right: Farming Simulator. Specifically, Farming Simulator 22.
In the paper "Agricultural videogames and 'good farming,'" authors Simon Foureaux and Thomas Daum of the University of Gothenburg outline how they think Farming Simulator 22 encourages an overall harmful view of the farmer's job: To produce as many crops on as much land as possible using as much big machinery and fancy fertilizers as they can to keep as many people as possible fed, clothed, and cared for as cheaply as possible.
"The gameplay ignores environmental feedback loops like soil health and biodiversity," the authors say.
(...)
Perhaps of greatest interest to us is the special attention that mods are given by the authors—they note that while Farming Simulator doesn't really embrace alternative agriculture, mods for it have, "tweaking gameplay mechanics, for example, on crop rotations, Conservation Agriculture, and weather patterns."
They also highlight a well-regarded mod called Precision Farming that was developed by Giants alongside John Deere and EIT Food, a European "Food Innovation Initiative." It implements some principles of sustainable agriculture and gives your farm an overall environmental sustainability score, but as the authors point out, still entirely within the realm of how much money it makes, saves, or costs you. Still, the additions to realism and the scientific concerns are enough that it has been upkept and even has a version 3.0 for the latest Farming Simulator. (Which I now want to try.)
>> There is no media.

At the request of South Korea, Valve pulled a mod from Steam that glorified the country's military dictatorship
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/at-the-request-of-south-korea-valve-pulled-a-mod-from-steam-that-glorified-the-countrys-military-dictatorship/
First reported by Korean gaming website This Is Game, and in English by Automaton, Valve acquiesced to a South Korean government request that it remove an offensive Mount and Blade: Warband mod from Steam last month.
Notably, the mod has been blocked from global distribution, not just in South Korea, and this marks the first time to my knowledge that Valve has removed a game or mod from Steam worldwide over a government's objection to its content.
The mod itself is a baffling and risible piece of right wing esoterica, converting the medieval sandbox Mount and Blade: Warband to a modern-day setting and presenting a warped version of the events of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a pivotal moment in the history of South Korea.

GAMING NEWS

Where Winds Meet Gets New Trailer & PC Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/where-winds-meet-gets-new-trailer-pc-requirements/
NetEase Games has shared a new cinematic trailer and the PC requirements for its upcoming game, Where Winds Meet. This game is a Wuxia-style open-world action RPG. The trailer doesn’t show any gameplay, but it does give a look at the story.

After 2 Years, the PC Version of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Finally Gets the Next-Gen Update
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/after-2-years-the-pc-version-of-dragon-ball-z-kakarot-finally-gets-the-next-gen-update/
In January 2023, Bandai Namco released a Next-Gen Update for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. And now, after over two years, the PC version will finally get those visual upgrades.

European Gaming Industry Lobby Responds to Stop Killing Games
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/european-gaming-industry-lobby-responds-to-stop-killing-games/
Yesterday, the Stop Killing Games movement reached 1 million supporters. And in just a few hours, the European Gaming Industry Lobby responded to it. So, let’s take a look at what they had to say.
Video Games Europe is a group that speaks for the video game industry in Europe. It works on things like rules for games, keeping players safe, supporting game culture, and helping the industry grow. It started in 1998 and is based in Brussels. The group includes trade organizations from about 15 countries, as well as big gaming companies like EA, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Microsoft, Riot, and Activision Blizzard.
>> it turns out that they’re against it. Shocking, right?

Off-screen Anime Expo 2025 trailer for Silent Hill f leaks online
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/off-screen-anime-expo-2025-trailer-for-silent-hill-f-leaks-online/
At Anime Expo 2025, Konami showed a new trailer for Silent Hill f. And although the team hasn’t officially released it yet, that trailer has been leaked online. So, if you are a fan of SH, you may want to check it out.

Killing Floor 3 Gets Official PC System Requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/killing-floor-3-gets-official-pc-system-requirements/
Tripwire Interactive revealed the official PC requirements for Killing Floor 3. The game will come out on PC on July 24th, and you can apply for its latest Playtest. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it.

The second part of the Monday gaming news:

Marvel Rivals players may soon be able to vote on what heroes they want added: 'We will use them as an important factor in our planning'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-players-may-soon-be-able-to-vote-on-what-heroes-they-want-added-we-will-use-them-as-an-important-factor-in-our-planning/
Marvel Rivals has a monumental task in front of it after promising players a new hero every month and a half. So far, the devs have made good on their promise with new heroes every half-season, the latest being Phoenix and Blade, with the former arriving in under a week for the start of Season 3.
(...)
Speaking to VideoGamer, game director Guangyun Chen discusses the idea of bringing hero voting to Marvel Rivals: “We continuously pay attention to the community and have noticed that players frequently take the initiative to vote on new heroes they would like to see in the future. We consider these votes to be highly valuable and will use them as an important factor in our planning for upcoming seasons.”

Fortnite hints at making its hottest new mode permanent by asking fans what they want next
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnite-blitz-royale-permanent-mode-hint/
Fortnite’s frantic Blitz Royale has been the game’s most popular attraction since it launched as a time-limited mode two weeks ago—and now Epic is hinting that it might become permanent.

Hideo Kojima's mysterious OD reportedly escapes the cancellation axe at Microsoft
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/hideo-kojimas-mysterious-od-reportedly-escapes-the-cancellation-axe-at-microsoft/
Microsoft laid off 9,000 employees earlier this week, cancelling games Everwild, the Perfect Dark reboot, and an unannounced MMO in the works at ZeniMax Online Studios in the process. Romero Games' new shooter fell victim to the massacre too. One game that apparently didn't get cancelled, though, is OD, the new thing from Hideo Kojima, with support from Xbox Studios, that was announced in 2023.

Ratatan, the new rhythm game from the designer of Patapon, delays early access release in response to negative demo feedback
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rhythm/ratatan-the-new-rhythm-game-from-the-designer-of-patapon-delays-early-access-release-in-response-to-negative-demo-feedback/
Ratatan, the spiritual successor to the wonderful PSP rhythm game Patapon, turned up at the PC Gaming Show earlier this year to reveal a new trailer, as well as a demo on Steam and an early access release date of July 25.
But with that date now just a few weeks away, developer TVT Co. has decided to push it back, and for that you can blame—or thank, as the case may be—the demo.

Chaotic destruction sim Teardown breaks cover on its multiplayer update, revealing 8 player team deathmatch and support for modded servers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/chaotic-destruction-sim-teardown-breaks-cover-on-its-multiplayer-update-revealing-8-player-team-deathmatch-and-support-for-modded-servers/
I haven't paid much mind to Teardown since it was released back in 2022, so I was surprised to see what a strong run of post-release support the destruction-focused heist sim has received in the last three years. Over that time, a featured mods menu, a creative mode, new mini-campaigns, and a third-person camera have all been added to the game alongside a range of premium DLC.
The next new feature coming to Teardown is also its most anticipated, multiplayer. Developer Tuxedo Labs revealed it had plans for multiplayer more than two years ago, but held back on specifics at that time. The studio provided more details in March, announcing that its multiplayer update would bring campaign co-op, as well as competitive and sandbox modes.

Runaway city-building success Manor Lords is getting a major overhaul to its systems: 'It's not just a new feature or two. It's a full rework'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/runaway-city-building-success-manor-lords-is-getting-a-major-overhaul-to-its-systems-its-not-just-a-new-feature-or-two-its-a-full-rework/
City-building smash hit Manor Lords received relatively frequent updates after it launched into early access last year, but the pace of patches has slowed considerably since the start of 2025. While there have been plenty of previews for new features planned by developer Slavic Magic, actual, tangible changes to the game are thin on the ground.
Now, Manor Lords' creator Greg Styczeń has explained why these regular updates haven't been coming, and the answer is the studio is working on a considerably larger, deeper overhaul of how the game functions. "I know you've been waiting a long time, and the reason for the delay is pretty simple. We're overhauling a lot of systems at once" he explained in a Steam update. "It's a full rework of how things like buildings, production chains, and environmental interactions function."

Even the beginner zone in Dune: Awakening isn't safe from sandworm-manipulating griefers anymore
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/even-the-beginner-zone-in-dune-awakening-isnt-safe-from-sandworm-manipulating-griefers-anymore/
Players new to Dune: Awakening should watch their backs in the Hagga Basin starting area—or risk getting swallowed by a sandworm thanks to griefers.
After the Dune: Awakening devs significantly increased the PVE area in the Deep Desert region last month, rowdy players looking for more unsuspecting targets have relocated to the PVE, beginner-friendly Hagga Basin region, where they've begun abusing game mechanics to kill other players, getting around its PVP prohibition.

Subnautica 2 studio begs rioting fans for benefit of the doubt after leadership axed by owner Krafton: 'The team that has been working on the game day-to-day over the last few years remains completely unchanged'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2-studio-begs-rioting-fans-for-benefit-of-the-doubt-after-leadership-axed-by-owner-krafton-the-team-that-has-been-working-on-the-game-day-to-day-over-the-last-few-years-remains-completely-unchanged/
Developer Unknown Worlds has shared a letter asking for patience from Subnautica fans after publisher Krafton announced the departure of its senior leadership⁠—including studio co-founder Max McGuire⁠—and the installation of Dead Space producer and Striking Distance (The Callisto Protocol) CEO, Steve Papoutsis, as the new studio head.

Mount & Blade 2's naval expansion will have complex sailing with wind, currents, and respect for a boat's draft
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/mount-and-blade-2s-naval-expansion-will-have-complex-sailing-with-wind-currents-and-respect-for-a-boats-draft/
This year will see the release of the first major expansion for Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, following three years of updates since its 2022 release. (...)
Taleworlds has now given a real look into the features we can expect in the expansion, and it's a hell of a lot more detailed than I'd have expected, especially when it comes to the particulars of life on the waves. The seas will have currents, wind directions, and storms to inconvenience or speed your voyages on the waves—that'll include not just the currents of the bays, but sailing on some of the newly-widened and now navigable rivers. Which will have its own knock-on effects modifying the map and its placement of bridges and such.

Rust's developer is overhauling the survival sim's mission system so it can create in-game quests faster and more easily: 'The process to create new missions internally is quite cumbersome and error prone'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/rusts-developer-is-overhauling-the-survival-sims-mission-system-so-it-can-create-in-game-quests-faster-and-more-easily-the-process-to-create-new-missions-internally-is-quite-cumbersome-and-error-prone/
Rust's latest patch may not be as dramatic as its recent jungle update, which added a huge rainforest biome to explore, but it nonetheless makes some important changes to Facepunch's survival sim. The headline update is a party system allowing players to join servers as a group. This makes playing with your friends slightly easier, not only from an organisational perspective, but also because it spawns you into a map together, meaning you don't have to track each other down and risk being killed in the process.

Here's a hort part three of the gaming news:

Preservationists discover a 'nearly complete' build of a lost Animaniacs game 22 years after it was cancelled, and you can play it right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/preservationists-discover-a-nearly-complete-build-of-a-lost-animaniacs-game-22-years-after-it-was-cancelled-and-you-can-play-it-right-now/
Gaming preservation group Hidden Palace has discovered a "nearly complete" prototype of a cancelled game based on Animaniacs, the beloved 90s animated show created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Steven Spielberg.
Animaniacs: Hollywood Hypnotics was being developed by UK studio Full Fat Productions, which was also a frequent collaborator with Maxis on series like The Sims and Spore, and now mainly develops mobile games. Intended for the Game Boy Advance, Hollywood Hypnotics was in development between 2000 and 2003.
Hidden Palace revealed the prototype's release on X (via Kotaku). The build was acquired by frequent Hidden Palace collaborator MrPinball64, who has supplied the group with more than 100 game prototypes in the last few years.

Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is gearing up for launch, literally—adding a fully-fledged gear system when it hits 1.0 in September
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/deep-rock-galactic-survivor-is-gearing-up-for-launch-literally-adding-a-fully-fledged-gear-system-when-it-hits-1-0-in-september/
Dwarfish bullet-heaven spinoff Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is already more hotly sought after than legendary-tier beard oil, having sailed past a million copies sold despite still being deep in the early access mines.
Now, Survivor is finally planning to breach the surface of a 1.0 launch, and as detailed by developer Funday Games in a recent Steam post, one of the big new features coming to the release version is a fully-fledged loot system.

'There are no plans to drop support for SteamOS': The Finals devs commit to Steam Deck and Linux players despite new kernel-level anti-cheat
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/there-are-no-plans-to-drop-support-for-steamos-the-finals-devs-commit-to-steam-deck-and-linux-players-despite-new-kernel-level-anti-cheat/
The Finals is getting kernel-level anti-cheat, but the developers at Embark Studios aren't using that as an excuse to abandon players on Steam Deck and Linux.
Embark Studios shared an announcement on Steam last week for Update 7.3 for The Finals, which included a major security change: "As mentioned in the 7.0 patch notes, a lot of cheats these days use a kernel-driver to read and write memory to gain an unfair advantage. This means that they run in a privileged mode in the Windows operating system, making it unlikely and in some cases impossible to detect via Anti-Cheat in the game client."
"The technical solution to combat this is kernel-driver Anti-Cheat. We believe that this is, and will be, a requirement for every competitive multiplayer game for the foreseeable future."
Normally, kernel-level anti-cheat is a death knell for gamers playing on Linux, including the Steam Deck, since 9 times out of 10, this type of anti-cheat isn't supported on Linux. There are exceptions, though, which apparently includes The Finals.

Rematch players are still crashing out over 'self-absorbed' ball hogs, and while I do get it, I can't help but wonder if some zen is in order
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/rematch-players-are-still-crashing-out-over-self-absorbed-ball-hogs-and-while-i-do-get-it-i-cant-help-but-wonder-if-some-zen-is-in-order/
I seriously doubt you're going to be shocked by this information but, almost a full month later, Rematch players are still bent out of shape over passes. Or, rather, they're crashing out about players not passing.
Dip into the game's subreddit, and you'll see 'pass, damnit!' posts cropping up so often, you could set your watch to them. Here's a post to the tune of nearly 800 upvotes wherein one poor soul goes on a 621-word rant just—absolutely tearing into the fools in their routine ranked queue.

Summer Games Done Quick 2025 is now live—kicking off a full week of speedruns and goofs to raise money for Doctors Without Borders
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/summer-games-done-quick-2025-is-now-live-kicking-off-a-full-week-of-speedruns-and-goofs-to-raise-money-for-doctors-without-borders/
Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) 2025 has officially fired the starting gun, meaning dozens of speedruns, goofs, and charity drives are coming down the highway to a VoD near you.
In case you're unfamiliar, GDQ is a charity speedrunning event where streamers get together in a convention centre—this time, in Minneapolis—to livestream days upon days of speedruns on Twitch. It's a mixture of impressive technical prowess and extensive bits. For instance, last year, a dog called Peanut Butter successfully beat a game of Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball.

I didn't want to fill the news with more doom articles coming from the Msoft’s layoffs and its consequences. So, I’ve decided to post them all here, so you can choose to read them or skip this post entirely:

Perfect Dark dev shoots down claim the ace-looking reveal was fake: 'It's probably more real than you think'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/perfect-dark-developer-shoots-down-claims-the-ace-looking-reveal-was-fake-its-probably-more-real-than-you-think/
This week, as part of an enormous round of cuts at Microsoft, the company closed down The Initiative and cancelled the ace-looking reboot of Perfect Dark it had been working on. The game had first been announced in 2020 but a "gameplay reveal" was shown in 2024's Xbox Games Showcase: and it blew us away.
(...)
The game looked awesome, and like it 'got' Perfect Dark in a way that Perfect Dark Zero never really managed (despite coming from original developer Rare, the main talents behind Perfect Dark had long left to found the ill-fated Free Radical Design). But in the wake of the project's cancellation a prominent journalist shared on social media he'd been told the trailer "was basically fake," a claim that quickly went around the internet and resulted in articles calling it "everything wrong with modern video games".
A developer who worked at The Initiative for three and a half years, and was one of the three staff charged with creating the gameplay reveal, has taken issue with such claims. Adam McDonald, who now works as a senior game designer at Cuphead maker Studio MDHR, took to BlueSky to explain his involvement, and what the video represented.

CWA union derides Microsoft layoffs when ‘the company is prospering’: 'We are living through a moment of profound corporate consolidation and disruption'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/cwa-union-derides-microsoft-layoffs-when-the-company-is-prospering-we-are-living-through-a-moment-of-profound-corporate-consolidation-and-disruption/
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced around 9,000 layoffs—many of which gutted teams and canceled games all over Xbox Game Studios—and it hasn't gone over great with, well, anyone whose conscience is intact. The Communications Workers of America, a major media union with several locals within Microsoft, took the moment to address its disappointment with a formal statement.
“We are deeply disappointed in Microsoft’s decision to lay off thousands more workers, including union-represented CWA members, at a time when the company is prospering,” said Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings Jr. “We will be bargaining with the company over these layoffs, and CWA District Vice Presidents Mike Davis and Derrick Osobase will remain directly involved in ensuring that our members are supported and treated with dignity throughout this process.”

Former Forza dev says original Motorsport series died in Microsoft's cuts, but Forza Horizon lives on
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/former-forza-dev-says-original-motorsport-series-died-in-microsofts-cuts-but-forza-horizon-lives-on/
First reported by Eurogamer, former Forza content coordinator Fred Russell has stated on Facebook that the Forza Motorsport series has been effectively killed by Microsoft's most recent wave of mass layoffs, but that the Horizon spinoff series will continue. Russell left Forza developer Turn 10 in 2016, but appears to still have inside contacts at the company.
"Turn 10 Studios has shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more," Russell wrote on Facebook. "A very sad day for one of the best car racing videogames. I loved my time there." In response to a comment asking if Turn 10 would cease making games altogether, Russell responded that "Forza Horizon will continue at this point."
>> That sucks but, can we really believe someone that still uses Facebook?

Romero Games reportedly met with Microsoft just a day before the publisher pulled funding for the studio, and there was 'no mention' of the decision that put over 100 people out of work
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/romero-games-reportedly-met-with-microsoft-just-a-day-before-the-publisher-pulled-funding-for-the-studio-and-there-was-no-mention-of-the-decision-that-put-over-100-people-out-of-work/
As reported by TheJournal.ie (via VGC), Doom designer John Romero and Wizardry 8 developer Brenda Romero's studio, Romero Games, has fully closed following the withdrawal of publisher funding for its in-development FPS. Former employees have stated that the publisher in question was Microsoft, making Romero Games another casualty of the tech giant's most recent round of cuts and mass layoffs.
We previously reported on Romero Games' statement on the loss of funding, but TheJournal.ie confirmed the closure and shed more light on the circumstances surrounding it. A former employee told TheJournal.ie that Romero Games "had meetings with the publisher the day before this happened, there was no mention of it."