Friday gaming news, the second part:

Overwatch 2 dips its toes into the horny pool with swimsuit skins and a shirtless new healer for its next season
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2-dips-its-toes-into-the-horny-pool-with-swimsuit-skins-and-a-shirtless-new-healer-for-its-next-season/
Blizzard isn't going to let Marvel Rivals have all the fun. In Overwatch 2's next season, everyone is getting swimsuit skins for a summer-themed battle pass.
Plenty of other new things are coming when season 18 starts on August 26—a whole new support hero, for example—but I think we all know what the draw will be. Lifeweaver, Reinhardt, Mercy, Junker Queen, Illari, and new hero Wuyang are all getting skins that show more skin than I'm used to seeing in Overwatch.

Splitgate fans, rejoice: Peer-to-peer multiplayer is coming next week, so you can keep on playing after the servers shut down
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/splitgate-fans-rejoice-peer-to-peer-multiplayer-is-coming-next-week-so-you-can-keep-on-playing-after-the-servers-shut-down/
Finally, some good news for Splitgate fans: Developer 1047 Games says the original Splitgate will be moving to peer-to-peer multiplayer on August 29, meaning the game will continue to be playable online even though the servers are being taken down.

Why did Team Cherry's devs stay so quiet about Hollow Knight: Silksong? 'All we could really say is, we're still working on it', so they stopped doing that
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/why-did-team-cherrys-devs-stay-so-quiet-about-hollow-knight-silksong-all-we-could-really-say-is-were-still-working-on-it-so-they-stopped-doing-that/
Well, it's official—in under one month, Silksanity will be over, with Silksong releasing September 4. It's been one hell of a ride, marked with long periods of silence from Team Cherry. And when the studio did speak up, it was often like, via a Discord message or something.
Showcase after showcase rolled by without so much as a squeak. And now that the news is out, why'd it take so dang long? In a new tell-all with Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, studio co-founders Ari Gibson and William Pellen reveal the shocking truth. Are you ready?

Bloodlines 2 developers try to justify the game's DLC clans, but it's not very convincing: 'We have been expanding it from where we originally planned to land'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/bloodlines-2-developers-try-to-justify-the-games-dlc-clans-but-its-not-very-convincing-we-have-been-expanding-it-from-where-we-originally-planned-to-land/
It didn't go over super-well when Paradox revealed yesterday that two of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2's six playable clans will be available via some rather pricey DLC. Especially after the game's infamously rough development, you might think that Paradox and developer The Chinese Room would want to engender goodwill among existing and potential Bloodlines fans, and yet bizarrely they went the opposite way—and people reacted precisely as any reasonable person would have predicted. But why?

Eric Barone says he doesn't get paid for Stardew Valley collabs, and that's the way he likes it: 'I wouldn't want to make money from a collaboration'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/eric-barone-says-he-doesnt-get-paid-for-stardew-valley-collabs-and-thats-the-way-he-likes-it-i-wouldnt-want-to-make-money-from-a-collaboration/
We learned earlier today that Stardew Valley and Infinity Nikki are teaming up for a collaboration of some sort that's set to land on September 1—a crossover that PC Gamer's Infinity Nikki superfan Mollie Taylor as "surprising," because "Stardew Valley doesn't do this sort of thing very often."
A little while later, Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone took to X to say that while such crossovers are a relative rarity, it's something he likes to do now and then—but not for the money.

To the dismay of sweaty 'movement kids,' Battlefield 6 is nerfing Call of Duty sliding and jumping to maintain a 'traditional Battlefield experience'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/to-the-dismay-of-sweaty-movement-kids-battlefield-6-is-nerfing-call-of-duty-sliding-and-jumping-to-maintain-a-traditional-battlefield-experience/
Duck, dive, and dodge: Following feedback from the Battlefield 6 beta that its movement was too squirrely and unpredictable, Battlefield Studios is planning significant changes for the full release.
>> And EA has revealed the most popular class in the beta.

One of Elden Ring's upcoming new starter classes is a freakishly strong jock with an intelligence score so low, they probably can't read, but the hardcore PvP kiddies are going ga-ga for them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/one-of-elden-rings-upcoming-new-starter-classes-is-a-freakishly-strong-jock-with-an-intelligence-score-so-low-they-probably-cant-read-but-the-hardcore-pvp-kiddies-are-going-ga-ga-for-them/
First spotted by weliveinasocietyboi on the Elden Ring subreddit, Bandai Namco has finally clued us in on the stats for one of Elden Ring's upcoming new starter classes, an absolute unit of a knight who looks tailor-made for strength builds⁠—and whose knuckle dragger spellcasting stats may leave them a prime pick for PvP tryhards.

Cheese Rolling is the best free Steam game about the age-old English tradition of hurling yourself down a hillside in pursuit of tumbling dairy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/cheese-rolling-is-the-best-free-steam-game-about-the-age-old-english-tradition-of-hurling-yourself-down-a-hillside-in-pursuit-of-tumbling-dairy/
Every year since at least 1826, hundreds of questionably-hinged individuals from around the globe gather at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire to enjoy the privilege of throwing themselves down a steep slope to chase a rolling wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. Competitors risk any number of bodily injuries, as the annually overtaxed emergency medical services of the region will tell you.
If, like me, you've been faintly, distantly jealous of those cheese-crazed tumblers and their yearly submission to gravity's bone-shattering whims in hopes of claiming praise and prize (the prize is cheese), I have great news: There's a game for that now, and it won't cost you any money. Or fractures.

Bungie CEO Pete Parsons retires: With Destiny 2 sentiment at an all-time low and pressure from Sony growing, Parsons has decided it's time to 'pass the torch' and head for an exit
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/bungie-ceo-pete-parsons-retires-with-destiny-2-sentiment-at-an-all-time-low-and-pressure-from-sony-growing-parsons-has-decided-its-time-to-pass-the-torch-and-head-for-an-exit/
Longtime Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced today that he is stepping down from the role, saying it's "the right time for a new beginning" at the Sony-owned studio. He will be replaced by Justin Truman, formerly the studio's chief development officer, who Parsons said "has been instrumental in bringing some of the most memorable moments in Bungie's history to life."
>> The reaction from fans is… maybe not what Bungie expected.

The creators of Deadly Premonition and No More Heroes are releasing a typically over-the-top roguelite 'fever dream' next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-creators-of-deadly-premonition-and-no-more-heroes-are-releasing-a-typically-over-the-top-roguelite-fever-dream-next-month/
Back in 2019, Goichi "Suda51" Suda and Hidetaka "Swery65" Suehiro announced a forthcoming horror game under typically bizarre circumstances. As Fraser reported at the time, the duo—who are responsible for No More Heroes and Deadly Premonition respectively—basically brainstormed the project during a livestream. At the time they decided it would be an indie horror game called Hotel Barcelona. The PS2 game Siren would be an inspiration, and Devolver would publish.
Six years later, it turns out Hotel Barcelona is an actual game that will see an actual release next month—on September 25 to be exact—but it has clearly evolved away from those early ideas. For one, Devolver isn't publishing: the relatively new Cult Games will handle that duty instead. Another big departure, at least to my eyes, is that Hotel Barcelona doesn't look scary. It's a 2.5D sidescrolling action roguelite set in a bizarre hotel, with all the surrealist flair you would expect from this duo. If you came away from that 2019 livestream thinking "great, two of the weirdest fellows in games are making a Siren tribute", then maybe keep your expectations in check.

You've got approximately 12 months left to enjoy Overwatch 2 because it just got the Persona 5 collaboration kiss of death
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/youve-got-approximately-12-months-left-to-enjoy-overwatch-2-because-it-just-got-the-persona-5-collaboration-kiss-of-death/
Legends tell of a videogame. A cursed videogame. One which, once it crosses paths with another, puts a year-long ticking timebomb on its victim. And the worst part? They never saw it coming.
Sorry, it's Persona 5, I get at least one Last Surprise joke. (...)
This time it's Overwatch 2's turn to Fortnite itself a little bit, and it's enlisting the Phantom Thieves to do so. Yup, the ultra-milked Atlus RPG is getting together with Blizzard's shooter in what is somehow the weirdest crossover announcement of the week so far.
So why am I yapping about the kiss of death and curses? Well, Persona 5 has garnered quite a reputation (particularly in the gacha game scene) for being a bit of a death knell whenever it announces a collaboration. Let's take a gander:

'Silksong lol': CloverPit devs delay the slot machine Balatro-like by 23 days to escape the blast radius of Silksong's launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/silksong-lol-cloverpit-devs-delay-the-slot-machine-balatro-like-by-23-days-to-escape-the-blast-radius-of-silksongs-launch/
You know what they say: The best laid plans of mice and men sometimes get abruptly derailed by a surprise launch announcement. Thanks to yesterday's reveal that Silksong's release date is only two weeks away, CloverPit developer Panik Arcade has decided to push back the launch of the slot machine roguelite to dodge the all-consuming attention singularity that we can safely expect the Hollow Knight sequel to be.

Time to check the new weekend deals at Steam, because there are no new promos at GOG:

+Steam

• Battlefield™ 2042 is going to be 95% off until the 2nd of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517290/Battlefield_2042
• Smalland: Survive the Wilds will have a 65% discount until the 4th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/768200/Smalland_Survive_the_Wilds
• Luck be a Landlord has a demo and a 67% discount until the 4th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord
• No Straight Roads: Encore Edition will be 80% off until September 4th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1726190/No_Straight_Roads_Encore_Edition
• And these are the new sales/events:
  • The Forza franchise Sale features 50% discounts in all its items until the 25th of August : https://store.steampowered.com/sale/forzafranchise
  • The Anthro Festival 2025 has lots of games with anthropomorphic animals up to 90% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/anthrofestival2025
  • The KINGDOM HEARTS franchise is on sale with 40% discounts until the 28th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/kingdomhearts_sale25
  • The Anno franchise Sake puts the games up to 90% off until August 28: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Anno_Franchise_2025
  • The Kingdom Rush franchise is on sale featuring up to 65% discounts until the 29th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34004563/sale/KingdomRushFranchiseSale2025
  • The Punic Publisher Sale launches with up to 80% discounts until the 4th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/panicsale2025
  • And the Risk of Rain franchise has its games up to 80% off until September, the 4th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/ror-franchisesale

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

Asus must be put of their f***ing minds. $2300 for a 5080 is insane, Noctua fans or not.

That situation seems REALLY odd. For them to go through trouble of getting the MIT license indicates that they were planning to release it open source. If there was no license, I'd be more inclined to think it was an accident. Did they plan to release initially, change their minds, and forget to pass along the memo? I'm curious to see what the modding community does with INT8 implementation of FSR4 they were working on for RDNA3.

Now that I think about it, is it possible they still plan to release this alongside FSR4 Redstone? AMD may be holding off on the INT8 version of FRS4 until Redstone drops. The rationale being AMD knows FSR4 is biggest selling point of RDNA4 at the moment and if they implement it on RDNA3 before Redstone drops, they lose that selling point. With their APUs still being based on RDNA3, 3.5 to be more specific, they have motivation to get a version of FSR4 working on RDNA3. If Intel didn't have their heads up their collective you know whats', they could really take advantage of AMD APUs only having FSR3. XESS/XESS 2.0 is significantly better than FSR3 and their APUs can run it. Even the DP4a fall back version XESS looks better than FSR3.

I'll spare you all any more of my incohorent rambling. I'm going back outside to yell at clouds like the rest of the fossils 

That's hilarious. They decided to put a license there, and of all the possible licenses, of course it was the MIT license, which lets you do almost anything. Really makes you wonder whether someone just put in the license that's most common for no good reason or if they're actually planning to release it at some point. Regardless, seems really sloppy.

The US Government OKs $8.9 Billion For Intel Stake, Creates A Contingency If The Chipmaker Sells Over 49% Of Its Foundry Business

https://wccftech.com/trump-intel-said-yes-to-10-percent-stake/

Samsung Reportedly Looking to Partner With Intel in the Chip Industry to Leverage President Trump’s ‘Personal Support’ for Team Blue

https://wccftech.com/samsung-reportedly-looking-to-partner-with-intel-in-the-chip-industry/

AMD Zen 6 Mobility CPU Family Leaked: Gator Range For Enthusiast Gaming Laptops, Medusa Point For Premium & Medusa BB For Mainstream

https://wccftech.com/amd-zen-6-mobility-cpu-family-leak-gator-ranges-medusa-point-medusa-bb/

The Trump Administration Will Reportedly Aid Intel in Producing Its Advanced Chips in the U.S., Including Reaching Out to Major Customers

https://wccftech.com/the-trump-administration-will-reportedly-aid-intel-in-producing-its-advanced-chips-in-the-us/

NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra “GB300” GPU, The Fastest AI Chip, Detailed: Dual Reticle GPU With Over 20K Cores, 288 GB HBM3e Memory at 8 TB/s & 50% Faster Than GB200

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-blackwell-ultra-gb300-gpu-fastest-ai-chip-dual-reticle-gpu-over-20k-cores-288-gb-hbm3e/

NVIDIA to Develop Japan’s Most Powerful AI Supercomputer, ‘Fugaku NEXT,’ Bringing Up to 100x Generational Increase In Application Performance

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-to-develop-japan-most-powerful-ai-supercomputer-the-fugaku-next/

AMD And Intel Cut Prices Of Their High-End Server Processors By Up To 50%

https://wccftech.com/amd-and-intel-cuts-prices-of-their-high-end-server-processors-by-up-to-50/

Intel Arc B580 falls to €239 in Germany with free Battlefield 6 code

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-arc-b580-falls-to-e239-in-germany-with-free-battlefield-6-code

ASRock launches L-shaped 12V-2×6 GPU power cable with built-in overheating protection

https://videocardz.com/newz/asrock-launches-l-shaped-12v-2x6-gpu-power-cable-with-built-in-overheating-protection

Samsung says you'll soon be able to see Stellar Blade in all its glory on its glasses-free 3D monitor

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-monitors/samsung-says-youll-soon-be-able-to-see-stellar-blade-in-err-all-its-glory-on-its-glasses-free-3d-monitor-which-im-sure-absolutely-no-one-will-be-weird-about/

Here are the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Everyone's heading back to Hollow Knight for one last go before Silksong comes out—the game's all-time Steam peak is rising as I write this headline
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/everyones-heading-back-to-hollow-knight-for-one-last-go-before-silksong-comes-out-the-games-all-time-steam-peak-is-rising-as-i-write-this-headline/
Are you ready for Hollow Knight: Silksong? Well, by my count, about 22,941 players are desperate for another fix of Team Cherry's work, a number that'll continue to rise over the intervening minutes of me sitting down and writing this article.
Per SteamDB, Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date of September 4 has driven swarms of players to the original game; either to get that sweet, sweet hit of nostalgia, or just to panic-finish it so they have the foggiest clue about what's going on in the sequel.
(...)
I've just refreshed the page after writing that paragraph, by the way. The all-time peak is now 23,129.
(...)
As are 23,503 people, now, by the way. Just refreshed the page, it's showing no signs of stopping.
>> Did the number kept going up? The answer is oh, yes.

Steam starts the week strong, with several deals and sales:

• Sherlock Holmes The Awakened will be 85% off until Wednesday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1949030/Sherlock_Holmes_The_Awakened
• Fran Bow gets a 70% discount until the 31st of August: https://store.steampowered.com/app/362680/Fran_Bow
• The Room is going to be 80% off until the 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/288160/The_Room
• SEDAP! A Culinary Adventure will have a 25% discount until the 7th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2650730/SEDAP_A_Culinary_Adventure
• And these are the sales:
  • The Smilegate Publisher Sale gas games up to 70% off. The page claims that it will last until the 7th of September, but that will depend on your time zone (here in Europe the deals will end on the 6th): https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44860621/sale/SmilegatePublisherSale-August
  • Publisher Hooded Horse also puts its games on sale with up to 75% discounts until September 7: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38719421/sale/augustsale2025
  • indie.io’s Last Splash Sale will have games up to 80% off until, again, the 6th of September : https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38394018/sale/indie_io_last_splash_sale

Fanatical!!br0ken!s new Star Deal is Remnant II - Ultimate Edition, with a 67% discount during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/remnant-ii-ultimate-edition.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Cyberpunk 2077 Mods Unlock New Hidden Locations
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/cyberpunk-2077-mods-unlock-new-hidden-locations
Cyberpunk 2077 fans, here is something for you today. A couple of new mods were released for CDPR’s title that can unlock new hidden locations. Additionally, some other mods have enhanced other areas in the game. Thus, I’ve decided to collect and share them in one article. So, let’s dive in.
The first mod removes the barrier blocking entry into Club Atlantis. The second mod removes the barrier to the upstairs in the Red Dirt bar. As such, players can now explore these two previously restricted areas.
The other three mods make some changes to some existing buildings. For instance, this mod converts the unfinished room behind Kerry’s bar into a recording studio. Then we have this mod that overhauls Lizzie’s Bar. The mod even restores the Good Old Basketball Court. Finally, we have this mod, which is a standalone version of the Gomorrah nightclub on Urmland Street.
All in all, this is some new cool free content for the game that a lot of players may find interesting. So, make sure to get the mods from the above links.
>> The article has a couple of videos from two of the mods listed.

Baldur’s Gate 3 just got an HD Texture Pack that overhauls all environment textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/baldurs-gate-3-just-got-an-hd-texture-pack-that-overhauls-all-environment-textures
Modder ‘lexo1000’ has released a new HD Texture Pack for Baldur’s Gate 3 that aims to overhaul the textures of all environments. This pack will make the game look sharper and more detailed than before. So, make sure to get it if you want to make BG3 look better and more detailed.
Going into more details, the modder upscaled all non-virtual textures (aka terrain, vegetation, architecture, clutter, monsters skin for a total of 1313 files) using Topaz Labs. This means that the modded textures will retain the art style of the vanilla textures.
Moreover, the modder overhauled only the Albedo/BaseColor and Glow/Emissive. He did not touch their Normal/Physical maps. As he said, upscaling them will typically add artifacts and bring little visual benefit.
Do note that his pack may not be compatible with the one we shared in September 2024. Therefore, make sure to use only one of them.
>> The article has no media.

Starfield Akila City Overhaul Mod Expands the City with More Detail and Immersion
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/starfield-akila-city-overhaul-mod-expands-the-city-with-more-detail-and-immersion
Starfield fans, here is something for you today. Modder ‘checker90’ has released a really cool mod for Starfield that aims to overhaul Akila City. So, let’s take a closer look at it, shall we?
The mod adds lots of new buildings, districts, and things to interact with, making the city feel more alive. The land has also been reshaped and improved with more plants, paths, and natural details. As such, the city now looks more realistic and immersive.
And that’s not all. The modder added a new river that flows through the city, giving it more detail and atmosphere. From streets to alleys, plazas to neighborhoods, there are countless little improvements that make Akila feel like a real, living city.
>> The article has a slightly longer than 5 minutes video.

Pre-Fortress 2, a mod that bridges the gap between Team Fortress Classic and TF2, is coming to Steam with a whole lotta grenades
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/pre-fortress-2-a-mod-that-bridges-the-gap-between-team-fortress-classic-and-tf2-is-coming-to-steam-with-a-whole-lotta-grenades/
Team Fortress 2 modders love nothing more than imagining alternate histories for Valve's long-running multiplayer shooter, and this year has seen several of these nostalgia-tinged conversions migrate from the rolling pastures of the web into Steam's smog-belching metropolis. In March, Team Fortress 2 Classic revealed it would be launching on Valve's platform sometime in 2025, while Team Fortress 2 Legacy—which reverts TF2's core systems to their 2008 standard—also plans to infiltrate Steam's base before the year is out.
Now, another revisionist TF2 mod has announced it is joining this merry throng. Pre-Fortress 2 positions itself as the evolutionary missing-link between the original Half-Life mod and Valve's hat-tastic sequel, reintroducing several ideas present in Team Fortress but deemed vestigial for TF2, while embellishing them with the sequel's quirky, cartoonish character.
Foremost among these are grenades. Pre-Fortress 2 flings throwable explosives back into the action, expanding your ordnance way beyond the traditional deadly pineapple with class-specific grenades. Scouts receive concussion grenades and, er, bear-traps, while pyros get napalm grenades, engineers EMP grenades, medics healing grenades… you see how this works.
Alongside this, Pre-Fortress 2 reinstates numerous weapons and more specific mechanics from Team Fortress Classic. Your arsenal is expanded to include the nailgun, the tranquilizer, the detonation pipe launcher, and the flame rocket. On the systems side, flag-throwing is revived, while the medic can heal teammates with his syringe or jab opponents with it to infect them with rot.
The mod even throws in a few ideas of its own. Engineers can repair the armour of allies using their wrench, while both teleporters and dispensers are team-agnostic, letting anyone use them. The flame rocket allows its wielder to perform a rocket-jump, while random critical hits are a thing of the past (or, given the point on the timeline where Pre-Fortress 2 inserts itself, future).
There's no word on when Pre-Fortress 2 will arrive on Steam. But if you simply can't wait for that hybridised Team Fortress action, you can download the mod on the Pre-Fortress 2 website.
>> There is an almost 5 minutes video of the mod.

GAMING NEWS

Valheim Patch 0.221.3 Released & Fully Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/valheim-patch-0-221-3-released-fully-detailed
Iron Gate has released Patch 0.221.3 for Valheim on its Public Test Server. The team has also shared its full changelog. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater appears to be locked at 60FPS on PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/metal-gear-solid-delta-snake-eater-appears-to-be-locked-at-60fps-on-pc
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater releases next week, and according to reports, the PC version will be locked at 60FPS. This info comes from a number of PC reviews that hit the Internet earlier today.

Here are 40 minutes of gameplay from the Gamescom 2025 demo of Crimson Desert
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-40-minutes-of-gameplay-from-the-gamescom-2025-demo-of-crimson-desert
YouTube’s ‘ENFANT TERRIBLE’ has shared a video, showcasing 40 minutes of gameplay footage from the Gamescom 2025 demo of Crimson Desert. Crimson Desert is a game that a lot of people have been looking forward to. So, if you are one of them, you should definitely check it out.

Monday gaming news, the second part:

Dawn of War 4 developer King Art knows what you all really want: 'Overwhelmingly, it's singleplayer content and the campaign'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/dawn-of-war-4-developer-king-art-knows-what-you-all-really-want-overwhelmingly-its-singleplayer-content-and-the-campaign/
One of the weird things about being a lover of RTS games—aside from the fact that it sometimes feels like the games industry has left us behind—is how often the people making these games, and certainly the ones financing them, seem to forget that the initial popularity of the genre was driven by high-quality singleplayer campaigns.
Folks look at StarCraft 2, the RTS that's dominated the genre for 15 years, and think it's all down to competitive multiplayer and esports. And that's how we got Stormgate: a game designed by veterans, built to tap into the love of Warcraft 3 and StarCraft 2. And it launched with an unfinished, uninspired campaign, and has struggled ever since then.
(...)
King Art Games, the studio behind Dawn of War 4, hasn't forgotten this.
"That was one of the things that we, as King Art, brought to the table," Jan Theysen, creative director and game director, tells me. "We are known for making narrative-driven games, and the campaign for Iron Harvest was very well received. So for us, this was super clear: campaigns will be one of the big pillars for the game."

Metal Gear Solid Delta still lets you wait two weeks for a boss to die of old age⁠—or mess with your system clock to cheat him out of his final fight
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/metal-gear-solid-delta-still-lets-you-wait-two-weeks-for-a-boss-to-die-of-old-age-or-mess-with-your-system-clock-to-cheat-him-out-of-his-final-fight/
PC Gamer senior editor Rich Stanton called Metal Gear Solid Delta a "safe, but excellent" remake in his review, but the extent to which Konami faithfully recreated even the most minute aspects of 2004's Snake Eater has been tickling our lizard brain nostalgia centers. You can still wait until sniper boss The End dies of old age, and you can still muck about with the system clock to do it.

Enshrouded's next big update is bringing way more water to the survival RPG than I expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/enshroudeds-next-big-update-is-bringing-way-more-water-to-the-survival-rpg-than-i-expected/
Since Enshrouded launched into early access in January of last year, players have been clamoring for water. The big, beautiful world of Embervale already has lots to offer, especially since you can build on or modify the terrain just about anywhere on the map you want… but would a couple rivers and lakes here and there be out of the question? We like that sorta thing in our big open world games.
This week at Gamescom, Keen Games revealed that Enshrouded's next big update would finally get players wet, with a whole new biome dedicated to water. And while I was expecting a few rivers and ponds, there's a lot more to it than that. Here's the trailer to whet (ha) your appetite, but I also got to watch a short demo of the new biome and talk to Benjamin Westphal, Enshrouded's lead game designer, about the Wake of the Water update, which arrives later this year.

Even more games are moving out of Silksong's way: 'I feel like a little krill trying not to get eaten by a blue whale'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/even-more-games-are-moving-out-of-silksongs-way-i-feel-like-a-little-krill-trying-not-to-get-eaten-by-a-blue-whale/
When I was your age, videogames were released at a rate of about seven per year, so there was plenty of room for everyone and we were all thankful for what we got. It's a bit more crowded these days—nearly 19,000 new games were released on Steam alone in 2024—and so, inevitably, some of them are left with a choice: Get their toes stepped on, or move.
It happened before, probably most notably with Cyberpunk 2077 back in 2020, and it's happening again right now: Team Cherry announced yesterday that after long years of waiting, Hollow Knight: Silksong will finally be out on September 4—just two weeks away!—and that's got other studios scrambling.
>> The article lists three games that have been delayed.

After stretching the definition of 'beta' for 8 years, Escape From Tarkov is finally hitting 1.0
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/escape-from-tarkov-1-0-release-date/
Escape from Tarkov, a primary influence on the extraction shooter genre, is still technically in beta, if you can believe it, but it won't be for long.
Eight years after opening its doors to players, Tarkov will finally hit 1.0 on November 15, 2025, a day after Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 releases.

Marvel Rivals dev's transparent, 18-minute breakdown of how ranked isn't rigged fails to placate players who hate losing
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-devs-transparent-18-minute-breakdown-of-how-ranked-isnt-rigged-fails-to-placate-players-who-hate-losing/
To prove to the growing number of players who think Marvel Rivals' ranked mode is rigged or somehow unfair, the official X account dropped a video that reveals a surprising amount of detail about why that's totes not the case.

Survival climber Cairn is getting a free-solo mode, letting you channel your inner Alex Honnold when it launches in November
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/survival-climber-cairn-is-getting-a-free-solo-mode-letting-you-channel-your-inner-alex-honnold-when-it-launches-in-november/
I've been continually impressed by Cairn ever since it was announced in June last year. The survivalist climber features one of the best climbing simulations I've experienced yet. If that seems like a bold claim for a game that isn't out for another few months, don't take my word for it, you can also try it yourself, since there's a Steam demo available.

This deckbuilding card battler where you bargain with the devil looks like Inscryption mixed with Battle Chess
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/this-deckbuilding-card-battler-where-you-bargain-with-the-devil-looks-like-inscryption-mixed-with-battle-chess/
Here's an intriguing little number that slipped through the cracks amid the deluge of game announcements pouring out Gamescom. The Killing Stone is a virtual card battler interweaved with a twisted folk horror narrative, where you play against demons and the devil himself in papery duels to the death.

Two years after launch, Assassin's Creed Mirage is getting surprise free DLC adding a second city to the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/two-years-after-launch-assassins-creed-mirage-is-getting-surprise-free-dlc-adding-a-second-city-to-the-game/
Ubisoft has announced that 2023's Assassin's Creed Mirage will not only be getting a substantial-sounding surprise DLC before the end of the year, it's going to be a completely free update to the game.
Details are scant, but Ubisoft said the DLC would consist of a "new story chapter and missions" set in a new zone separate from the base game's representation of medieval Baghdad. This addition of a new open world area is particularly surprising given that Mirage was the first single-city Assassin's Creed game since 2015's Syndicate.

We just got a free expansion pack out of nowhere for one of the most underrated FPSes on Steam⁠, and it adds a second open world to the one we already had
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/we-just-got-a-free-expansion-pack-out-of-nowhere-for-one-of-the-most-underrated-fpses-on-steam-and-it-adds-a-second-open-world-to-the-one-we-already-had/
Echo Point Nova is one of our favorite recent FPSes here at PCG: Four player hoverboard shooting in an open world of floating islands that feels like Titanfall with all the safeties off. A steady stream of free updates has only made it better, crescendoing yesterday with the launch of a free expansion pack.

And here’s the third part of the gaming news:

The new Lego Batman game will have more of Gotham City in it than Arkham Knight did
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-new-lego-batman-game-will-have-more-of-gotham-city-in-it-than-arkham-knight-did/
In the trailer tornado of Gamescom 2025, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight stood out to me, and not just because it had Matt Berry as the voice of Lego Bane. The combat looks like it's got the counter mechanics of the Arkham games, and the traversal has Arkham-style grappling and gliding. Since neither Suicide Squad nor Gotham Knights was the follow-up to Arkham Knight we wanted, I guess Traveller's Tales decided to step up.

The new game from Painkiller and Bulletstorm's creators is a tropical survival shooter that looks a teensy bit like Far Cry, and it's out in early access next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/the-new-game-from-painkiller-and-bulletstorms-creators-is-a-tropical-survival-shooter-that-looks-a-teensy-bit-like-far-cry-and-its-out-in-early-access-next-month/
Just the other day I was thinking "I could really go for a survival game in the style of the original Far Cry". You know, one that has the lush tropical islands and open-world mercenary blasting of Crytek's 2004 trailblazer, but where you plan and execute your missions from a base you build yourself.
(...)
Lost Rift…isn't quite that. But it's close enough that I'm left wondering whether the universe is listening to me through a particularly thick door. It's the latest game from People can Fly, creators of Painkiller and my beloved Bulletstorm, and it sees you and several friends wash up on the shores of a tropical archipelago called Pioneer's Landing.

Two Point Museum's next free update will dive into the digital realm, letting you build a retro arcade among your exhibitions
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/two-point-museums-next-free-update-will-dive-into-the-digital-realm-letting-you-build-a-retro-arcade-among-your-exhibitions/
While I wouldn't say I was surprised by Two Point Museum on launch—I expected it to be another great management sim from Two Point Studios and it proved to be exactly that—I have been surprised by the vigor of its post-launch life.
Since releasing in February, Two Point Studios has been doling out freebies like the world's most financially inept gift shop, adding memorial exhibits in June, a whole new museum to manage in July, and even giving players a chunk of its Fantasy Finds DLC gratis.
Now, another free update has begun booting up like a 486 retrieved from the bowels of Intel. The Digiverse is a new expedition map coming to Two Point Museum next week, letting your experts don their luminescent Tron onesies (Tronsies?) as they delve into the digital realm.

Even in a year packed with great RPGs, you don't want to miss Disco Elysium-style time loop noir Rue Valley, which has a new trailer and a release date in November
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/even-in-a-year-packed-with-great-rpgs-you-dont-want-to-miss-disco-elysium-style-time-loop-noir-rue-valley-which-has-a-new-trailer-and-a-release-date-in-november/
Even in a year with two main course Obsidian joints in Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, as well as the Oblivion Remaster, one of the RPGs we're most excited about is Rue Valley, a time loop mystery set in a surreal motel in the American southwest. And now we know we don't have much longer to wait: In a new trailer, publisher Owlcat and developer Emotion Spark have announced a release date of November 11.

'I'm working on other stuff': Double Fine chief Tim Schafer squashes hopes for Psychonauts 3 any time soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/im-working-on-other-stuff-double-fine-chief-tim-schafer-squashes-hopes-for-psychonauts-3-any-time-soon/
Psychonauts fans who were hoping for a sequel announcement at Gamescom are in for some disappointment. Double Fine development chief Tim Schafer all but confirmed the studio is not planning to work on Psychonauts 3, let alone a Brütal Legend sequel, any time soon.
During an interview with IGN at Gamescom this week, Schafer explained that Double Fine's focus right now is on original IP, stating, "I'm working on other stuff."

It's shaping up to be a crazy month for new games, with Indiana Jones' beefy-looking story DLC finally arriving on September 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/its-shaping-up-to-be-a-crazy-month-for-new-games-with-indiana-jones-beefy-looking-story-dlc-finally-arriving-on-september-4/
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's story DLC, Order of the Giants, has gotten an official release date of September 4 via a new "launch trailer" on YouTube. Is it really a "launch" trailer if we're still over a week away from launch? And is the full title then "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and the Order of the Giants?" Much to consider.

Deadlock's latest character basically gets a portal gun, and his ult teleports enemies to a void hotel where they have to do a platforming challenge
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/deadlocks-latest-character-basically-gets-a-portal-gun-and-his-ult-teleports-enemies-to-a-void-hotel-where-they-have-to-do-a-platforming-challenge/
Valve has once again broken its silence on its upcoming hero shooter-meets-MOBA Deadlock. Six new playable characters were announced last week and Valve has been slowly revealing more about each of them in the days since. The latest might be one of the game's coolest characters yet, featuring an ability clearly inspired by another Valve franchise.

Former Dragon Age producer Mark Darrah agrees that Mages were the most 'complete' class in Origins, says it came from D&D rules and the fact that Warriors and Rogues weren't allowed to 'violate physics' yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/dragon-age/former-dragon-age-producer-mark-darrah-agrees-that-mages-were-the-most-complete-class-in-origins-says-it-came-from-d-and-d-rules-and-the-fact-that-warriors-and-rogues-werent-allowed-to-violate-physics-yet/
In response to a viewer question in a 200k subscriber Q&A for his YouTube channel, former BioWare producer Mark Darrah explained why Mages in Dragon Age: Origins were so feature rich or "complete" when compared to Rogues and Warriors.

Silent Hill f's director insists that its dodge and counterattack systems don't make it a soulslike: 'I think it's a label that's a little bit disingenuous'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/silent-hill-fs-director-insists-that-its-dodge-and-counterattack-systems-dont-make-it-a-soulslike-i-think-its-a-label-thats-a-little-bit-disingenuous/
Konami gave us an extended look at how Silent Hill f plays earlier this month, and the horror prequel places a much heavier emphasis on combat than I expected. With mechanics like a stamina bar, timed dodges and a powerful counterattack ability, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Silent Hill f looks rather like a soulslike.
Konami has readily admitted to Silent Hill f's more combat-oriented focus. A few weeks back, Motoi Okamoto stated that "inserting more entertaining and thrilling action" is a big part of the project. Yet in a more recent interview, Okamoto pushed back against the soulslike comparisons, insisting that Silent Hill f isn't one.

Ubisoft CEO summoned to appear before French court in relation to harassment trial, as the publisher says it will 'continue to cooperate with the justice system in this matter'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/ubisoft-ceo-summoned-to-appear-before-french-court-in-relation-to-harassment-trial-as-the-publisher-says-it-will-continue-to-cooperate-with-the-justice-system-in-this-matter/
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has been summoned to appear before a French court, following a trial in which three former executives were found guilty of workplace harassment in June.

https://store.steampowered.com/category/action_tps

Intel’s Next-Gen Clearwater Forest “E-Core” Xeon CPU Unveiled: 12 CPU Chiplets On 18A Node, 288 Darkmont Cores, 17% IPC Increase, 2x L2 Cache Bandwidth, DDR5-8000 Support

https://wccftech.com/intel-clearwater-forest-e-core-xeon-cpu-12-cpu-chiplets-18a-node-288-darkmont-cores-17-ipc-increase-2x-l2-cache-bandwidth-ddr5-8000-support/

GPD Announces 128GB Unified Memory Solution For Win 5 Console

https://wccftech.com/gpd-announces-128gb-unified-memory-solution-for-win-5-console/

ASUS Launches ROG Astral RTX 5080 Dhahab CORE With No “Real” Gold At A Staggering $1899

https://wccftech.com/asus-launches-rog-astral-rtx-5080-dhahab-core-with-no-real-gold-at-a-staggering-1899/

NVIDIA Makes First Major Move in ‘Physical AI’ With Jetson Thor, Giving Humanoid Robots Their Own Brain to Make Them Smarter and More Capable

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-makes-first-major-move-in-physical-ai-with-jetson-thor/

NVIDIA Delivers The Promise of Neural Rendering & Gaming With Blackwell RTX: Demos RTX PRO 6000 Running 4 Instances of Cyberpunk 2077 Using MIG

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-delivers-promise-of-neural-rendering-gaming-with-blackwell-rtx-demos-rtx-pro-6000-running-4-instances-of-cyberpunk-2077/

AMD Delivers 400GbE Speeds With Industry’s First “UEC-Ready” Pensando Pollara 400 AI NIC

https://wccftech.com/amd-400gbe-speeds-industrys-first-uec-ready-pensando-pollara-400-ai-nic/

AMD RDNA 4’s Modular SoC Nature & Flexible Configurability Helps Spawn Smaller & Diverse GPUs Such as Navi 44, Highlights Features To Reduce Memory & Bandwidth Needs

https://wccftech.com/amd-rdna-4-modular-soc-flexible-configurability-helps-spawn-smaller-gpus-navi-44-features-to-reduce-memory-bandwidth/

Intel warns shareholders that the US government's 10% stake could hurt company's international sales

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-warns-shareholders-that-the-us-governments-10-percent-stake-could-hurt-companys-international-sales