Here come the Friday news!

Before that, let me tell you that the PC Secret Santa thread is open! If you want to join, come here: https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/243930/the-11th-semi-annual-pc-secret-santa-event/

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Call of Duty's sold $3 billion worth of product to over 200 million people in the last year
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-dutys-sold-dollar3-billion-worth-of-product-to-over-200-million-people-in-the-last-year/
Activision has announced in a press release that the Call of Duty franchise, "as it shifts to a shared ecosystem business model", has surpassed over $3 billion in net bookings. The latter term is a metric for total sales, so this includes all game sales, DLC, merchandise, everything.
These numbers are exceptional. Activision says its year-to-date increase from 2019 shows "net bookings up over 80% and units sold through up over 40% year over year. Over 200 million people have played Call of Duty this year." It also says that across console and PC this means "the franchise has delivered the highest number of players in recorded history this year".

Epic is giving away 2 big RPGs on Cyberpunk launch day, because why not
https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-is-giving-away-2-big-rpgs-on-cyberpunk-launch-day-because-why-not/
Next week's Epic Game Store freebies are an interesting pick. December 10 is, of course, the Cyberpunk 2077 launch date (preload and unlock times were announced today, in case you missed it) and Epic has decided that it would also be a fine time to drop not just one, but two, big-ass RPGs into its free games pile: Pillars of Eternity Definitive Edition and Tyranny Gold Edition. They're both very good RPGs and well worth your time, but holy cow, guys. Is this really the time?
(Of course, you don't have to play them right away. You can just add them to your ever-growing backlog.)
Before Pillars and Tyranny are offered up, we've got Cave Story, a tale of an amnesiac robot named Quote who must explore and fight through a series of sprawling caverns in order to discover who he is and, ultimately, escape.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is now available for free to all GOG Galaxy users
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-enhanced-edition-is-now-available-for-free-to-all-gog-galaxy-users/
CD Projekt RED has announced that The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is currently available for free to all GOG Galaxy users. This is a great giveaway, especially for all those that are waiting for Cyberpunk 2077. I know I know, completely different franchises but they are made by the same company.

The Humble Store has a new The Game Awards Sale with up to 80% discounts for the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/the-game-awards/

Fanatical has three new deals:

• The new Star Deal is DreadOut 2, 55% off for the next 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dread-out-2
• Outward is 66% off for the next 2 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/outward
• And Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is 20% off for the next 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/morbid-the-seven-acolytes

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

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GAMING NEWS

Warner Bros has removed Denuvo from Batman: Arkham Knight, adds two new free skins
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warner-bros-has-removed-denuvo-from-batman-arkham-knight-adds-two-new-free-skins/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. Warner Bros and Rocksteady have released a brand new update for Batman: Arkham Knight that removes the Denuvo anti-tamper tech from its Steam version. Furthermore, this patch adds two new free skins.

Persona 5 Strikers is coming to the PC on February 23rd, 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/persona-5-strikers-is-coming-to-the-pc-on-february-23rd-2021/
Atlus has announced that Persona 5 Strikers will be coming to the PC on February 23rd, 2021. The team has revealed this via an unlisted trailer that you can find below.

New Saints Row The Third Remastered Patch addresses numerous bugs and issues
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-saints-row-the-third-remastered-patch-addresses-numerous-bugs-and-issues/
Sperasoft has released a brand new update for Saints Row The Third Remastered. According to the release notes, this patch addresses a number of bugs and issues. However, it does not address the PC issues we’ve covered a while ago.

First Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered Update released, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-need-for-speed-hot-pursuit-remastered-update-released-full-patch-notes/
Stellar Entertainment has released the first patch for Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered. According to the release notes, this update improves overall stability, fixes an audio stuttering issue, and brings a number of visual/UI fixes.

Project CARS 3 Patch #3 released, adds new free track, tweaks physics, improves GUI
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/project-cars-3-patch-3-released-adds-new-free-track-tweaks-physics-improves-gui/
Slightly Mad Studios has released the third major update for Project CARS 3. According to the release notes, this update adds the Hermann Tilke-designed Bahrain International Circuit for free to all Project CARS 3 players, complete with 4 layouts—GP, Inner, Outer, and Paddock.

Serious Sam 4 Update 1.06 released, brings performance optimizations and tweaks for GFX APIs and CPUs
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/serious-sam-4-update-1-06-released-brings-performance-optimizations-and-tweaks-for-gfx-apis-and-cpus/
Croteam has released a brand new update for Serious Sam 4. According to the release notes, patch 1.06 packs various fixes and performance improvements for all CPU configurations, and adds more CPU Speed customizations. Furthermore, it brings performance tweaks across gfx APIs.

Friday news, part two:

Avalanche co-founder and Just Cause creator sets up new studio named after a GZA album
https://www.pcgamer.com/avalanche-co-founder-and-just-cause-creator-sets-up-new-studio-named-after-a-gza-album/
Cristofer Sundberg, the co-founder of Avalanche and creator of the Just Cause series, has set up a new studio called Liquid Swords. The name is a reference to one of the greatest rap albums of all time, Wu Tang member GZA's solo project Liquid Swords (which nevertheless features most of the Wu Tang).

Rust raises $80,000 for charity by selling 20,000 virtual moustaches
https://www.pcgamer.com/rust-raises-dollar80000-for-charity-by-selling-20000-virtual-moustaches/
Rust is cruel. Almost every time I've played it, something terrible has happened, usually involving several hours' worth of planning and investment going down the tubes. Yet like many games with this hardcore edge, there is also a deeply playful and at times silly side: (...)
Some of that spirit is what recently made Facepunch one of the biggest donors towards Movember, a charity dedicated to men's health issues. Part of the organisation's campaign is the widely-publicised trend of folk growing moustaches over the month of November to raise cash, and Rust's Movember Moustache gives players a natty lip-rug for just under £4. Over 20,000 of these moustaches were sold in November, and raised $80,000 for the cause.

This Doom 2 level is actually based on the level designer's house
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-doom-2-level-is-actually-based-on-the-level-designers-house/
A lot of people don't know that part of the Doom 2 level 16 map is based on the floorplan of the house that Doom designer Sandy Petersen was building at the time. I was among the people who did not know that, until I took this video tour of that exact house, delivered by none other than Petersen himself.

CS:GO Operation Broken Fang is live now
https://www.pcgamer.com/csgo-operation-broken-fang-is-live-now/
The CS:GO community awoke from their slumber today to discover that Valve had reached down a benevolent hand and given them an early Christmas gift. Broken Fang, the 10th CS:GO operation, is here. It even comes with a cinematic trailer (a whole 16 seconds long), the first official Counter-Strike cinematic in eight years.

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a massive 464-page strategy guide at launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077-is-getting-a-massive-464-page-strategy-guide-at-launch/
The internet is awash with user guides for pretty much every game you could name, but there's still something nice about a physical strategy guide. Cyberpunk 2077 is getting one, and not only does it look like a neat coffee table book, it's also a whooping 464 pages long. Verily a tome of Tolstoyan proportions.

World of Tanks gets Chuck Norris for Christmas
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-tanks-gets-chuck-norris-for-christmas/
If there's one thing World of Tanks loves, it's a celebrity cameo. This Christmas it's resurrecting one of the internet's hoariest memes, the fabled strength and power of one Chuck Norris. The meme's origin can be traced back to around fifteen years ago, when Chuck was a sprightly 65 years old, but to be fair he's looking good for 80.

World of Warcraft Classic now has the Scourge invasion and Naxxramas raid
https://www.pcgamer.com/world-of-warcraft-classic-now-has-the-scourge-invasion-and-naxxramas-raid/
The endgame Naxxramas raid is now live in World of Warcraft Classic. Set in a giant necropolis floating above the Plaguelands of Azeroth, the dungeon is designed for up to 40 players, and takes place over four wings stuffed with mid-bosses, before a central lair with the final challenges.

And now, let's take a look at the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• The first one is the weekly sale with up to 86% discounts on Sci-fi shooters: https://www.gog.com/promo/20201201_weekly_sale
• The Midweek Sale with its city builder games at up to 75% discounts will last for another 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/promo/20201202_midweek_sale
• And the Weekend Sale brings games for all Monster hunters (no, not those games) up to 80% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20201204_weekend_sale
• And there are also new releases:
  • Phoenix Point: Year One Edition launches at GOG with a 50% discount until the 10th of December: https://www.gog.com/game/phoenix_point_year_one_edition
  • Three new Ziggurat Interactive games join the store with 33% discounts until December 11: https://www.gog.com/news/three_classic_games_from_ziggurat_interactive_join_gogcom
  • And Nine Witches: Family Disruption lands on the store with a 20% discount until the 18th of December: https://www.gog.com/game/nine_witches_family_disruption

+Steam

• The first deal is Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem, 25% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/424370/Wolcen_Lords_of_Mayhem/
• The Early Access title Embr is free to try and 30% off until Monday 7th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062830/Embr/
• GreedFall will be 60% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/606880/GreedFall/
• Hell Let Loose, still in Early Access, is 25% off until December 8: https://store.steampowered.com/app/686810/Hell_Let_Loose/
• And Phoenix Point: Year One Edition also launches at Steam with a 50% discount until the 22nd of December (when the Winter/X-mas sales will begin): https://store.steampowered.com/app/839770/Phoenix_Point_Year_One_Edition/

And that's it, nothing else to say. Well, nothing except wishing you a happy and gaming weekend.

It was my favorite game for a long time, until I couldn't play it anymore due to the T&L problem mentioned above.

MSI mistakenly reveals 8-core/16-thread Intel Rocket Lake-S CPU-Z specifications

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-mistakenly-reveals-8-core-16-thread-intel-rocket-lake-s-cpu-z-specificaitons



New Microsoft Surface Laptop With 8-Core, 16-Thread AMD Ryzen 3780U Spotted in Fresh Benchmark; New Models Inbound

https://wccftech.com/microsoft-surface-laptop-amd-ryzen-3780u-8-core-16-thread-benchmarked/

3780U instead of 4000 series???

Ah! Nostalgia. Now I get it.

I hope it lives up to your memories.

Were you expecting MSoft to go with Zen 3?

3780U original was a ZEN+ part.  I think all 4000 cpus was ZEN 2.  The question is did they update 3780U to ZEN2 or kept it ZEN+.  ZEN+ would be disappointing.

Nah the 3000 mobile series was based on Zen+ while the 4000 series that's been out for a while now is based on Zen 2. It's weird for MS to not got with the more efficient chip unless they updated 3780U to 7nm

Ah! I see. I don't pay much attention to mobile parts and wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the explanation.

It is, indeed, an extrange decision and also quite disappointing as the newer chips would not only offer better performance, but also thermals and power consumption.

You were beaten . But thanks as well, for the explanation.

The games for December Humble Choice have been revealed. Once again, Premium and Classic customers will receive all the games. New Premium subscribers will also receive a free month of EA Play Pro, while current Premium and Classic customers will receive a coupon for $5 off one month of EA Play Pro

Game list:

• Overcooked! 2 + Too Many Cooks + Surf ‘n’ Turf Pack
• Children of Morta
• One Step from Eden
• The Beast Inside
• Indivisible
• Shining Resonance Refrain
• Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection + The Arges Adventure
• Tabletop Playground
• Frog Detective 1 + 2
• Still There
• Struggling
• Path of Giants
• And the Humble Original, The Corridor

Nice month for me, Children of Morta and One Step from Eden are on my wishlist. While Shining Resonance Refrain I was interested in, a shame it has Denuvo.

Good month. Now I don't have to buy Indivisible.