The second part of the gaming news:

The maker of Prototype and Simpsons: Hit and Run returns from the grave just months after an out-of-the-blue update broke Prototype's mods and added mysterious new credits
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-maker-of-prototype-and-simpsons-hit-and-run-returns-from-the-grave-just-months-after-an-out-of-the-blue-update-broke-prototypes-mods-and-added-mysterious-new-credits/
In news that will be deeply intriguing for a certain brand of rapidly-ageing millennial (me), it's looking more and more like that susurrus of a Prototype remaster from last year might actually bear fruit.
I say this because, as spotted by VGC, Prototype's original studio seems to have reforged itself in a new form. New Radical Games is, claims its website, a fusion of Radical Entertainment (Prototype, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction) and Hothead Games (Deathspank, episodes one and two of those Penny Arcade Adventures Games).

Mewgenics is getting official mod support, and could have DLC out by the 'end of next year'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/mewgenics-is-getting-official-mod-support-and-could-have-dlc-out-by-the-end-of-next-year/
Even 130 hours into Mewgenics I still don't feel like I'm close to exhausting everything it has to offer, and according to Edmund McMillen I've still got a very long way to go. So I'm both excited and a bit intimidated to see the game's co-developer Tyler Glaiel start talking about mods and DLC.
>> More Mewgenics articles: two areas of the game were inspired by a tabletop RPG (link).

Boy, this is awkward: Sony drops the first Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest directly on top of the Marathon server slam this weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/boy-this-is-awkward-sony-drops-the-first-horizon-hunters-gathering-playtest-directly-on-top-of-the-marathon-server-slam-this-weekend/
The long-rumored co-op action game Horizon Hunters Gathering was finally made official earlier this month, along with a promise of a "small-scale closed playtest" set for the end of February. Today Sony announced that the test will run from February 27 to March 1, and if those dates feel oddly familiar to you, it might be because you've already blocked them out on your calendar for the Marathon server slam.

The latest Arc Raiders patch makes Rocketeers way more important
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-rocketeer-crafting-wolfpack/
Something I love about videogames is the way that a single line of patch notes can have a disproportionate butterfly effect on millions of sessions. This little sentence, part of today's Shrouded Sky update, will alter the fate and behavior of countless raiders:

• Wolfpack - Added Rocketeer Driver as a crafting cost.

>> More Arc Raiders articles: players are reporting the presence of huge UFOs (link); the devs promise more severe repercissions for cheaters (link); and here’s one talking about the weapons that have been nerfed and the ones that haven’t (link).

Path of Exile's next update might prevent your cursor from killing you, and it has a bunch of QoL changes that even PoE 2 doesn't have yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exiles-next-update-might-prevent-your-cursor-from-killing-you-and-it-has-a-bunch-of-qol-changes-that-even-poe-2-doesnt-have-yet/
Path of Exile 2 spoiled me with all the things about it that feel like a modern videogame. Even though it's extremely similar in a lot of ways, Path of Exile 1 had me fighting against all the fussy parts of it that have gathered dust over the years.
(...)
In the next expansion, Mirage, PoE 1 gets to go first with some quality-of-life changes that I fully expect to show up in the sequel eventually. One in particular is a change that sounds relatively minor, but is crucial if you regularly engage with the crafting system or enjoy trading items with other players: currency exchange favoriting.

This new clicker game dares ask: What if Bongo Cat picked up a sword and started killing everything he saw?
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-new-clicker-game-dares-ask-what-if-bongo-cat-picked-up-a-sword-and-started-killing-everything-he-saw/
As reflected by my 2025 Steam Replay, I poured a lot of time into Bongo Cat last year. So when someone said, 'What if Bongo Cat, with knives,' you best believe I was intrigued. That is, essentially, the premise for Tap Tap Loot, a cute and significantly more violent clicker game that's rolled out a demo for the Steam Next Fest.

I thought Overwatch's new Arcade mode was a glitch, but it's actually a ridiculous cat-stuffed free-for-all where spamming 'meow' is mandatory
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/i-thought-overwatchs-new-arcade-mode-was-a-glitch-but-its-actually-a-ridiculous-cat-stuffed-free-for-all-where-spamming-meow-is-mandatory/
Upon opening Overwatch to do my lunchtime dailies (this sans-2 reboot has truly rotted my brain and returned me to my 2016 lifestyle) I had a little poke around the menus to see the addition of a very bizarre Arcade mode: ;ASKLDFAL;S C;A.
Did someone at Blizzard Team 4 goof? Has a line of code caused a little hiccup somewhere, showing me this bizarre amalgamation of characters instead of whatever this mystery mode is supposed to be called? Oh, wait, nope. It's an incredibly silly 6v6 mode all about one of the newest additions to its roster, Jetpack Cat. Classic feline keyboard shenanigans included.

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

GOG declares 'The future of preservation is decided by players who give a sh*t' after New Blood CEO expresses concern for the storefront's lifespan
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/gog-declares-the-future-of-preservation-is-decided-by-players-who-give-a-sh-t-after-new-blood-ceo-expresses-concern-for-the-storefronts-lifespan/

When Capcom brought in a professional screenwriter for the original Resident Evil 2, it was his idea to fully embrace the series' goofy puzzles: 'We’ll just have to make the police chief a weirdo!'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/resident-evil/when-capcom-brought-in-a-professional-screenwriter-for-the-original-resident-evil-2-it-was-his-idea-to-fully-embrace-the-series-goofy-puzzles-well-just-have-to-make-the-police-chief-a-weirdo/

Final Fantasy 14's latest unofficial census is a surprising uptick, and shows I'm not the only one getting sucked back into the MMO again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14s-latest-unofficial-census-is-a-surprising-uptick-and-shows-im-not-the-only-one-getting-sucked-back-into-the-mmo-again/

Former Assassin's Creed and Far Cry director says Ubisoft 'became very allergic' to new games, which contributed to a 'talent drain'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/former-assassins-creed-and-far-cry-director-says-ubisoft-became-very-allergic-to-new-games-which-contributed-to-a-talent-drain/

ASUS updates ROG Ally Z1 Extreme GPU driver, but it still sits on an older branch

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-updates-rog-ally-z1-extreme-gpu-driver-but-it-still-sits-on-an-older-branch

The plot thickens

Tech Yes City reports second Ryzen 9 9950X failure on X870 Steel Legend WiFi, latest BIOS does not fix it

https://videocardz.com/newz/tech-city-yes-reports-second-ryzen-9-9950x-failure-on-x870-steel-legend-wifi-latest-bios-does-not-fix-it

NVIDIA job listings mention Vulkan and Proton performance work on Linux

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-job-listings-mention-vulkan-and-proton-performance-work-on-linux

Shunt-modded RTX 5090 burns 12VHPWR connector after modder ignores WireView temperature alarms

https://videocardz.com/newz/shunt-modded-rtx-5090-burns-12vhpwr-connector-after-modder-ignores-wireview-pro-ii-temperature-alarms

Micron Confirms 24Gb GDDR7 Modules With 36 Gbps Speeds For Next-Wave of Discrete GPUs

https://wccftech.com/micron-confirms-24gb-gddr7-modules-36-gbps-for-next-wave-of-discrete-gpus/

We Could See the World’s First 1.6nm Chips Debut at NVIDIA’s GTC 2026 Keynote, With Feynman Taking Over the Stage

https://wccftech.com/we-could-see-the-first-1-6nm-chips-debut-at-nvidia-gtc-2026/

GPU Sales On A Major German Retailer Show RTX 5080 Is Now The Most Popular GPU In NVIDIA RTX 50 Series

https://wccftech.com/german-retailer-shows-rtx-5080-is-now-the-most-popular-gpu-in-nvidia-rtx-50-series/

Intel Misses Another ‘AI Opportunity’ With SambaNova as Acquisition Talks Die Down, Settling for Xeon CPU Collaboration Instead

https://wccftech.com/intel-misses-another-ai-opportunity-with-sambanova/

Nvidia's N1/N1X chips leak once again, this time tipped for release in first half of 2026 — hotly-anticipated chips to reportedly debut on Dell and Lenovo laptops

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/nvidias-n1-n1x-chips-leak-once-again-this-time-tipped-for-release-in-first-half-of-2026-hotly-anticipated-chips-to-reportedly-debut-on-dell-and-lenovo-laptops

Google Cloud N4 Series Benchmarks: Google Axion vs. Intel Xeon vs. AMD EPYC Performance

https://www.phoronix.com/review/google-cloud-n4-arm64-epyc-xeon

Panasonic, the former plasma king, will no longer make its own TVs

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/panasonic-the-former-plasma-king-will-no-longer-make-its-own-tvs/

It certainly gets a bit more complicated. If I read it well, AMD has kept releasing driver updates but, for some reason, Lenovo has decided to stop providing them to its customers and Asus has decided to... what, doing a halfassed job by launching new drivers but based on old ones instead of the latest ones? 

To be honest, my first thought is that they're doing that on purpose to "force" their uses to buy their new devices. Which sucks on many levels and can actually hurt their brands more than anything else.

But it's not like Asus has a problem with having their brand reputation tainted, do they?.

So, are there any Japanese TV makers still alive? Now Panasonic, with Sony selling half of its business earlier this year and both Sharp and Toshiba having sold their lines years ago.

China is taking over the TV market, with only the Korean companies standing in the way.

Let’s check today’s gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Overwatch's second weekend of Conquest 'had a higher daily player count' than its opening weekend as Blizzard's FPS gains momentum
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatchs-second-weekend-of-conquest-had-a-higher-daily-player-count-than-its-opening-weekend-as-blizzards-fps-gains-momentum/
The first weekend of Overwatch's overhaul, now known as Overwatch Season 1: Conquest, was by and large a success. Not only did it introduce five new characters, a nice UI change, and signify a shift in how content will be released going forward, but it also dropped the '2'. And all of this was rewarded with some of the best player counts the game has seen since launch.
On Steam, Overwatch reached an all-time player count peak, clocking in over 165,000 players over the release weekend and creeping past both Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty's concurrent player count. Since then, it's managed to keep a healthy number, which has floated between that high point and 100,000 players.
But it doesn't stop there. Most Overwatch players actually use Battle.net to play, a Blizzard-owned platform that doesn't publicly post player numbers. It meant that we can't say for sure just how successful the overhaul has been, but Blizzard has revealed that the players just keep coming back.
"Overwatch Season 1: Conquest had a higher daily player count in its second weekend vs. launch weekend," Overwatch says in an official social media post. "The first time that has happened since Overwatch 2 launched in 2022. Thank you to everyone who's been jumping into Season 1: Conquest."

During the next 7 days, the Epic Store will give away

• Boxes: Lost Fragments: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/boxes-lost-fragments-079041
• My Night Job: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/my-night-job-a416a6

Next week, the free games will be Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank .

GOG has the Atari Publisher Sale,with games up to 85% off during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20260226_atari_publisher_sale

Steam has three new deals (that I see) and one new sale (note that there’s a Capcom sale but, oddly enough, it ends with today’s refresh):

• Keep on Mining! will have a 35% discount until the 4th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3769130/Keep_on_Mining/
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is going to be 67% off until the 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2183900/Warhammer_40000_Space_Marine_2/
• ΔV: Rings of Saturn has a demo and a 59% discount (hopefully it’s 60% in other currencies) that will last until March 11: https://store.steampowered.com/app/846030/DV_Rings_of_Saturn/
• And the sale is the Retrovibe’s Spring Forward Sale 2026 with upcoming titles to learn about and games up to 85% off. The deals will end between the 4th and the 10th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40645616/sale/SpringForward2026

Humble Bundle presents its Cartridge Chaoes Bundle, with up to 8 games to get during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/cartridge-chaos

And there’s also Fanatical with the Prestige Collection - Build your own Bundle (BundleFest 2026) has 21 titles to choose from for your 2+, 3+ or 4+ game bundles during the next 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/prestige-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Intel Arc GPU Graphics 32,0,101.8531 drivers
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-32-0-101-8531

HIGHLIGHTS
Intel Game On Driver support on Intel Arc B-series, A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel Core Ultra with built-in Intel Arc GPUs for:

• Marathon
• Resident Evil Requiem
• World of Warcraft: Midnight (DLC)

Game performance improvements on Intel Core Ultra series 3 versus Intel 31.0.101.8509 software driver for:

• Witcher 3 (DX12)
  • Up to 35% average FPS uplift at 1080p with High settings

Game performance improvements on Intel Arc B-series Graphics GPUs versus Intel 31.0.101.8509 software driver for:

• Resident Evil Requiem (DX12)
  • Up to 7% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings
  • Up to 6% average FPS uplift at 1440p with Ultra settings

Game performance improvements on Intel Arc A-series Graphics GPUs versus Intel 31.0.101.8509 software driver for:

• Resident Evil Requiem (DX12)
  • Up to 40% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings
  • Up to 30% average FPS uplift at 1440p with Ultra settings

FIXED ISSUES

Intel Core Ultra Series 3 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

• John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay.
• PUBG: Battlegrounds (DX12) may exhibit intermittent flickers in the game menu.
• Hogwarts Legacy (DX12) may exhibit flickering corruption during cinematics in game.

Intel Arc B-Series Graphics Products:

• John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay.

Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with built-in Intel Arc GPUs:

• John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (DX12) may experience an application crash during gameplay.

>> This is a Beta driver.

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 595.59
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-595-59

HIGHLIGHTS
Game Ready for Resident Evil Requiem
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 4 technology including Resident Evil Requiem. In addition, there is Game Ready support for Marathon which features DLSS Super Resolution and NVIDIA Reflex.
What’s New in Release 595

• Support for CUDA 13.2
• Adds the latest performance improvements, bug fixes, and driver enhancements.

FIXED ISSUES

Fixed Gaming Bugs

• The Ascent: Intermittent black bar on top of screen on GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs [5859818]
• Total War: THREE KINGDOMS: Green artifacts appear on GeForce RTX 50 series [5745647]
• FINAL FANTASY XII The Zodiac Age crashes with fatal error after driver update [5741199]
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019) displays image corruption after driver update [5733427]
• Quantum Break: Performance drops significantly on Act 4 Part 1 [5607678]

Fixed General Bugs

• Blackmagic Design: AV1 decode crash with multiple obu in one packet [5671098]

New York sues Valve for 'letting children and adults illegally gamble' with loot boxes
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/new-york-sues-valve-for-letting-children-and-adults-illegally-gamble-with-loot-boxes/
New York state attorney general Letitia James announced on X and Bluesky today that the state of New York is opening a lawsuit against Valve for violating the state's gambling laws through its games.
In the brief post, James says Valve has "made billions of dollars by letting children and adults illegally gamble for the chance to win valuable virtual prizes. These features are addictive and harmful."
In a subsequent press release, the attorney general's office called out Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 specifically.
>> Good. Loot boxes are bad, no matter if they come from EA or Valve.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Fallout 4 Got a Dynamic Dismember System Overhaul
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-4-got-a-dynamic-dismember-system-overhaul/
Modder ‘Zzyxzz’ has released a new cool mod for Fallout 4 to improve its dismemberment system by bringing an engine-level gore overhaul. This is a mod that a lot of Fallout 4 fans will love. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The Dynamic Dismember System Mod transforms combat into something far more reactive and brutal. Every time you hit a limb, the game checks its actual limb health. If that limb’s condition reaches zero, it can be severed instantly.
For ranged combat, different ammo types can define how destructive a hit should be. Heavy rounds can tear limbs off. Brutal setups can completely destroy a head.
Melee combat follows its own rules. You can allow every hit to potentially sever a limb, or restrict dismemberment to powerful heavy strikes only. Light swings will remain controlled. On the other hand, heavy blows will feel devastating.
VATS can enhance brutality in multiple ways. Critical hits can push a normal hit into full dismemberment. You can even restrict headshot kills to VATS only for a cinematic execution style. The damage you inflict in you enemy will still matter.
All in all, this is a cool mod that can enhance the game’s combat. So, if you are still playing Fallout 4, you might want to give this mod a go. You can go ahead and download it from this link.
>> The article has an almost 4 minutes video of the mod.

Modders file a Square Enix job application after it ballses up yet another FF7 release: 'Let us help you'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/modders-file-a-square-enix-job-application-after-it-ballses-up-yet-another-ff7-release-let-us-help-you/
The new version of Final Fantasy 7 that Square Enix announced in a boldly detail-free post last January hit Steam yesterday and, well, people aren't happy about it.
In an event scientists are (probably) calling "more predictable than the sunrise," it seems fans rather think Square Enix mucked it all up, so much so that one cadre of modders has decided to use the release as a shoe-in-the-door to angle for a gig at the studio. After all, they reckon they could do better than this.
The new version of FF7—now on Steam and GOG—adds a 3x speed mode, the option to disable random encounters, autosaves, and a "Battle enhancement mode" that lets you "recover HP/MP during battles and max out the Limit gauge." It's worth noting, before we get to the complaints, that if you had the older version of FF7 on Steam, you still have access to it. So at least there's that.
At the time of writing, Final Fantasy 7's user reviews sit at an ugly red Mostly Negative on Steam, with fans taking issue with framerate bugs (though in fairness, some report that Square Enix has at least patched a gamebreaking combat speed glitch), texture filtering, and in general the fact it feels like a worse version of the game than a modded copy of the old version.
"OG 2013 release had modders that did all of this already from controller support and button prompts to frames and cheats, but with better visuals and skins," wrote a player named Jamesie Ghost. "I just don't understand how they tested this and said 'Yes, this is the definitive edition of Final Fantasy VII,'" wrote ehs03y3ol.
You know who else reckons modders did it better? Modders. The Tsunamods team—responsible for various FF-related projects, including the Cosmo Memory and Echo S-7—has been tweeting its impressions about the new FF7 version since it dropped. They're unimpressed. "Why did they need to make the backgrounds look worse!" the team posted on its X account, alongside a side-by-side comparison of some FF7 backgrounds. "It's one thing to release a new version that's worse. But to fully delist the better version is just… ehh. We must fix this!"
So confident is the Tsunamods team that it could do better that it's… turned its dismay at nu-FF7 into a job application. "You know what, I'm taking our shot in the dark here. @SquareEnix, hire us. I'm not joking. Our contact info is in our bio," wrote the team.
"We have Programmers, Musicians, 3D artists, 2D artists, Upscale engineers, and we help keep your older games alive. People trust us. Let us help you."
>> The article has the links to the two projects mentioned for the 2013 version of FF VII.

Sony killed a fan-made Bloodborne tribute last year, as the game continues to languish on PS4: 'Why are you making such absurd decisions, Sony?'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/game-development/sony-killed-a-fan-made-bloodborne-tribute-last-year-as-the-game-continues-to-languish-on-ps4-why-are-you-making-such-absurd-decisions-sony/
In November 2024, developer Maxime Foulquier posted footage of Bloodborne Top Down Arena, a fan tribute mixing FromSoftware's relentlessly goth setting with Vampire Survivors mechanics. The project looked kinda cool, if not a little close to its source material.
Foulquier went quiet on the project after posting that video, and as it turns out, for good reason: In March 2025 he received a sternly-worded letter from lawyers representing Sony. Rather than announce straight away that the project was done for, Foulquier decided to wait.
"I didn’t say anything in March 2025 because I decided to repurpose all the assets I had created for that project into a new game set in my own universe, inspired by Bloodborne," Foulquier wrote on X, where he has also posted an image of the cease and desist letter. "My plan was to reveal the letter once the game was ready to communicate.
"Unfortunately, plans have changed. I’d rather speak about it now, as my disappointment is immense. The disappearance of Bluepoint is a tremendous loss for the industry and for the dream of a Bloodborne remake."
Foulquier posted the letter just after Sony confirmed it will close famed remake studio Bluepoint. It has long been hoped—but never hinted at by Sony—that Bluepoint might work on either a Bloodborne remake or remaster. A pipe dream for sure, but Bluepoint did remake Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, two other Sony-owned games with severely loyal followings.
With the closure, one of the Bloodborne community's most powerful coping mechanisms has been dashed. It was for the hope of a Bluepoint-fronted Bloodborne remake that Foulquier received the cease and desist letter with equanimity.
"I was incredibly excited about this project and worked on it a lot in my spare time," Foulquier wrote. "Then I received the letter you can see here. I told myself, 'Okay… I expected this might happen. Maybe it’s because a real Bloodborne remake is actually in development, with Bluepoint leading it for the PS6 launch?'"

GAMING NEWS

Nioh 3 Patch 1.03.03 Released With Lots of Balance Tweaks
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/nioh-3-patch-1-03-03-released-with-lots-of-balance-tweaks/
Team Ninja has released Title Update 1.03.03 for its latest title, Nioh 3, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

New Alan Wake Remastered PC Patch Adds HDR, 240FPS & New Camera, Improves DLSS, FOV & DX12 Rendering
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/new-alan-wake-remastered-pc-patch-adds-hdr-240fps-new-camera-improves-dlss-fov-dx12-rendering/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. Remedy has just released Title Update 1.33 for Alan Wake Remastered and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

The second part of the gaming news:

Arc Raiders' Shrouded Sky added lots of cool new toys, but my favourite part is the new quality-of-life features that have flown under the radar
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-shrouded-sky-added-lots-of-cool-new-toys-but-my-favourite-part-is-the-new-quality-of-life-features-that-have-flown-under-the-radar/
Of course, it's expected that the thing everyone's talking about in a new content drop in Arc Raiders is… the content. And the Shrouded Sky update delivered on that part, (...)
I'm not going to argue that's not cool and all, but the 1.17 patch notes also snuck in a handful of quality-of-life tweaks we've been asking for since launch. My favourite is the new inventory tooltip to display what each item breaks down into when you recycle or salvage it. No longer do you need to remember (or worse, sacrifice an item to find out) what each of the random recyclable materials actually does. Take Geiger Counters, for example, a purple-quality material that's a great source of Batteries and Exodus Materials, or Ion Sputters being salvageable for Voltage Converters.
>> And here are the other Arc Raiders articles: Embark explains why crafting Wolfpacks now cost more (link); and players reaction to Rocketeers now being deadlier (link)

Amanita Design teases the Orwell-inspired Phonopolis with a surprisingly funny demo about messing with people, running from the cops, and fighting fascism even when you don't really want to
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/amanita-design-teases-the-orwell-inspired-phonopolis-with-a-surprisingly-funny-demo-about-messing-with-people-running-from-the-cops-and-fighting-fascism-even-when-you-dont-really-want-to/
Amanita Design is one of my long-standing favorites. It was the studio's 2009 robot adventure Machinarium that hooked me, but Botanicula, the Samorost games, the madcap Chuchel—they're all brilliantly creative works. So when I saw that a demo for its next game, Phonopolis, had dropped into the Steam Next Fest, I was all over it.

This co-op FPS Steam demo feels poised to do for spellslinging robot cowboys what Deep Rock Galactic did for space dwarves
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/this-co-op-fps-steam-demo-feels-poised-to-do-for-spellslinging-robot-cowboys-what-deep-rock-galactic-did-for-space-dwarves/
Far Far West sounds like videogame premise Mad Libs: You play as a posse of gunslinging cowboy wizards who deploy from a flying train to complete randomized missions with objectives like firing a nuclear missile at a giant spectral necromancer while blasting ranks of skeletons.
It's a shooter imagined through free association, but Far Far West's demo in Steam's latest Next Fest event is a promising sampler of frantic, satisfying FPS gunfights that feel like they have the potential to stand in the same league as co-op heavy hitters like Deep Rock Galactic.

Amazon's gaming walkback continues as it ends publishing deal for a new racing game being headed up by former Forza Horizon creative director
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/amazons-gaming-walkback-continues-as-it-ends-publishing-deal-for-a-new-racing-game-being-headed-up-by-former-forza-horizon-creative-director/
Back in October 2025, Amazon effectively threw in the towel on its big-budget videogame ambitions, leaving itself only with the mysterious Tomb Raider game (which later turned out to be two games) and an open world racer being developed by Maverick Games, a studio headed up by former Forza Horizon creative director Michael Brown.
Well, you can cut that number by one, because Amazon has ended its publishing deal with Maverick.

'Please, let us cook more': Windrose devs aren't ready to give players a release date yet
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/please-let-us-cook-more-windrose-devs-arent-ready-to-give-players-a-release-date-yet/
Pirate survival game Windrose is having a moment. It's one of the most popular demos at Steam Next Fest, it's got so many concurrent players it shows up on Steam's most-played charts, and earlier this week it cannonballed to over 1 million wishlists. Plus, its combination of survival systems, open world pirate ship battles, and uplifting sea shanties makes for a heck of a lot of fun.
So when developer Windrose Crew announced a new trailer would be released today, a lot of players (including me) assumed a release date, or at least a release window, would come with it. The trailer shown today for IGN Fan Fest, while boisterous as always, doesn't give any indication of when the game will be out, however.
"Guys, I know many of you hoped for the release date reveal today, and we understand your passion—trust me, we are so eager to lock in the date and announce it to you as well," the development team posted in the game's official Discord about an hour after the new trailer appeared. "But now is not the time to do it."

Beamdog swaggers in, says sorry I'm late, then surprise-patches Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 Enhanced 14 years after release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/beamdog-swaggers-in-says-sorry-im-late-then-surprise-patches-baldurs-gate-1-and-2-enhanced-14-years-after-release/
The birds are shining, the trees are singing, the sun is swaying in the breeze: it's the year 1999, and Baldur's Gate has just got another patch. Everything is perfect, and nothing hurts.
Wait, no, my mistake. It's 2026, and everything is bad. Good news, though: the Baldur's Gate patch thing is actually true. 14 years after it released (and 28 years since the original came out), Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition has a new 2.7 patch in beta. So too do Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. "We’re truly sorry it took this long," write the devs. "With 2026 marking 14 years since BG:EE first launched on PC, we want to thank you for staying with us on this journey."

An Overwatch bug which allowed you to crash the game by typing in chat has been fixed, so don't make Blizzard regret letting you talk again: 'That bug accidentally made OW a safe place'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/an-overwatch-bug-which-allowed-you-to-crash-the-game-by-typing-in-chat-has-been-fixed-so-dont-make-blizzard-regret-letting-you-talk-again-that-bug-accidentally-made-ow-a-safe-place/
Usually, Overwatch's bugs are pretty harmless—like Ramattra's occasionally wonky Nemesis form—but there have been some game-breaking ones lately. Just a week or two ago, progression systems were completely borked, with Blizzard issuing apology lootboxes and event items to all.
Frustrating as it was, it was nowhere near as game-breaking as yesterday's discovery. Quite literally, in this case, as players discovered that if you spammed the '

And here's the short third part:

Skate studio Full Circle is laying off employees, says having fewer people working there will enable it to 'move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently for all of you,' somehow
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/skate-studio-full-circle-is-laying-off-employees-says-having-fewer-people-working-there-will-enable-it-to-move-faster-listen-more-closely-and-deliver-consistently-for-all-of-you-somehow/

Assassin's Creed Hexe creative director Clint Hocking leaves Ubisoft, former Black Flag director Jean Guesden takes over as development continues under 'a seasoned team'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/assassins-creed-hexe-creative-director-clint-hocking-leaves-ubisoft-former-black-flag-director-jean-guesden-takes-over-as-development-continues-under-a-seasoned-team/

You might be as surprised as I was to learn that Assassin's Creed Mirage is one of the few games to use AI neural texture compression—the only one, I think
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/you-might-be-as-surprised-as-i-was-to-learn-that-assassins-creed-mirage-is-one-of-the-few-games-to-use-ai-neural-texture-compression-the-only-one-i-think/

Microsoft's execs can't stop hooting and hollering about AI, but Xbox's new overlords promise 'We've got no pressure' from up top that would 'flood our ecosystem with slop'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/microsofts-execs-cant-stop-hooting-and-hollering-about-ai-but-xboxs-new-overlords-promise-weve-got-no-pressure-from-up-top-that-would-flood-our-ecosystem-with-slop/

Early Resident Evil Requiem Testing Shows Nearly 50% Average FPS Difference Between Ryzen 7 9850X3D And Core i9 14900KS

https://wccftech.com/early-resident-evil-requiem-testing-show-nearly-50-average-fps-difference/

Steam Deck turns 4, Valve still has no update on a successor

https://videocardz.com/newz/steam-deck-turns-4-valve-still-has-no-update-on-a-successor

NVIDIA confirms supply constraints will limit GeForce gaming shipments in Q1

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-confirms-supply-constraints-will-limit-geforce-gaming-shipments-in-q1

GG I guess

ROG Xbox Ally update adds Game Bar battery percentage and new library filters

https://videocardz.com/newz/rog-xbox-ally-update-adds-game-bar-battery-percentage-and-new-library-filters

Lenovo Legion Go Fold concept leaks with 7.7-inch to 11.6-inch folding POLED display, Lunar Lake SoC

https://videocardz.com/newz/lenovo-legion-go-fold-concept-leaks-with-7-7-inch-to-11-6-inch-folding-poled-display-lunar-lake-soc

AMD FSR 4.1 DLL reportedly leaks, and RDNA 3 users are already testing it

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-fsr-4-1-dll-reportedly-leaks-and-rdna-3-users-are-already-testing-it

SK hynix and Sandisk launch OCP workstream to standardize High-Bandwidth Flash memory

https://videocardz.com/newz/sk-hynix-and-sandisk-launch-ocp-workstream-to-standardize-high-bandwidth-flash-memory

Never released GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB sample hits 550W+ after shunt mod and custom heatsinks

https://videocardz.com/newz/never-released-geforce-rtx-3080-ti-20gb-sample-hits-550w-after-shunt-mod-and-custom-heatsinks

AMD’s Top RDNA 5 “AT0” GPU Might Release For Gamers But In Limited Quantities

https://wccftech.com/amd-top-rdna-5-at0-gpu-might-release-for-gamers-but-in-limited-quantities/

Rumour and all that

ASUS Rolls Out New BIOS To Fix BitLocker Recovery Issues On Its AM5 Motherboards

https://wccftech.com/asus-rolls-out-new-bios-to-fix-bitlocker-recovery-issues-on-its-am5-motherboards/

Sony is gonna stop releasing their games on PC

Its Xboxover.

I blame Sarah Bond.

A publisher sale for Nacon has started. Reminder that the company has entered insolvency.

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/NaconPublisherSale2026

I'm looking at buying a few games just in case they might be later removed from circulation and to support the company.

Also found some better deals on Gamesplanet.

RoboCop: Rogue City - Collection - 16$

RiMS Racing - Ultimate Edition - 6$

Hunting Simulator 2 Elite Edition - 5$

Ravenswatch: Year One Edition - 22$