Developer News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Cyberpunk 2077 has a bunch of things that are trying to turn you into giblets, and CD Projekt Red added even more in Phantom Liberty. Over the past seven months, developer CD Projekt Red has been tracking exactly which enemies have been dishing out the most hurt to players through the course of the expansion, posting the top three killers to the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account.

This one's a bummer. Mega-publisher Take-Two Interactive is shuttering Rollerdrome studio Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 team Intercept Games, according to paperwork seen by Bloomberg.

Back when the Fallout show first hit our TV screens, you couldn't move online due to the sheer number of New Vegas fans that had made it halfway through the show before announcing that it had somehow disrespected the game by making changes to the lore. Many claimed that it had somehow removed New Vegas from Fallout canon (it didn't) and that Todd Howard was secretly the mastermind behind the change, all in an effort to get back at developer Obsidian Entertainment for making a good Fallout game.

Helldivers 2 has continued a surprisingly frequent trend over the past couple of years of titles, such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Palworld, that have blown up in popularity more than anyone could have possibly predicted, even the developers themselves. We're yet to get official numbers for just how impressive Helldivers 2's launch has been, but it has been revealed that it's already managed to become one of PlayStation's highest grossing titles in the US.

You know what Doom (1993) really needs? Microtransactions. All those free health and armour packs lying around are a waste. Imagine the big bucks id Software could've made if it had monetised the Cacodemon out of 'em.

I regret to inform you that, despite the best efforts of Helldivers everywhere, the Terminid threat is back and nastier than ever. I’m starting to think that Super Earth command may not know exactly what they’re doing – but, of course, I would never linger on such undemocratic thoughts.

Take-Two is reportedly planning to shut down Private Division studios Roll7 and Intercept Games as part of recently announced restructuring.

The internal testing branch for Diablo 4's expansion Vessel of Hatred seems to have moved out of the Alpha stage, indicating it is now in Beta. Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Overview Vessel of Hatred's testing branch on Blizzard's CDN (content distribution network), used for internal testing, has been recently updated from 2.0.0alpha.49443 to 2.0.103.52888, which indicates that the expansion has moved out of Alpha into Beta. We do not have any further information and will need to wait to learn more about future developments.

Hasbro has already invested over $1 billion in its internal studios as part of an ambitious long-term strategy, according to Wizards of the Coast head of game studios and publishing Dan Ayoub.

Intercept Games is among the many casualties of Take-Two Interactive's layoffs, as its parent company is laying off 70 people from the developer behind the Kerbal Space Program 2.

Fallout 5 hasn’t officially been announced yet but, with renewed interest in the postapocalyptic series thanks to the new Amazon-produced Fallout TV show, we’re starting to hear more and more rumors about the new Wasteland adventure.

Remember the times when playing Snake on your phone was the ultimate way to beat boredom? Pictoline Games has brought those memories back with a splash of mythology in their new game Quetzi. Yes, it’s the classic snake game but with an epic twist.

The endearing game about development and discovery, Paper Trail, will be available on Netflix on May 21. The secret is that to start this folded-paper adventure, you’ll need a Netflix account.

Batman: Arkham Shadow has been announced as a Meta Quest 3 exclusive title launching sometime in 2024. Word comes directly from Meta itself via its official blog. This will be the first entry in the Arkham series since Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham VR in 2016 for the PSVR. A full reveal is planned for the June 7 Summer Game Fest showcase.

A bug is missing from Dragonflight Season 4, as the Amber Skitterfly mount from Trading Post apparently doesn't exist! Lacking a preview and absent from the collections tabs, purchasing the mount consumes 600 Tender and awards absolutely nothing in return. While it is very likely that Blizzard corrects this bugged bug with either a refund of the Trader's Tender or ideally adding the mount to collection tabs directly, players on the fence about it or simply concerned about their limited stock of traders tender may want to avoid purchasing the mount for the time being. With the great amount of problematic bugs present in Season 4, this is one bug players will actually miss. This is clearly not a Skitterfly, and the Trading Post fails to generate a preview, and the mount is similarly absent from collection tabs.Update: Blizzard has just released a bluepost indicating that a bug fix for the bugged bug mount should be coming soon.

NVIDIA is creating a new ecosystem of "Premium" AI PCs powered by its RTX hardware which are much faster than AI-capable NPUs that are taking the industry by storm.

Despite having released only two games, the two entries in the beautiful Metroidvania series Ori, Austrian developer Moon Studios is rightly considered among the top studios founded in the 2000s. While the series that put them on the map is not continuing anytime soon, fans of the developer still have something to look forward to, as Moon Studios is working on No Rest for the Wicked, an action role-playing now available in early access. The game is powered by some amazing visuals and solid core gameplay that have the potential to be among the best released in recent times.

The Batman: Arkham franchise isn't as dead as we thought, with Warner Bros Games today announcing a new entry in the beloved series.

Like so many PlayStation fans, our team loves gaming online, and we’re passionate about making it easier for you to connect with other players and form new friendships while gaming. Today, we’re excited to share that in the coming months, we’ll introduce the ability for you to generate a shareable link on your PS5 console or on PlayStation App, and send it to other PS5 players through any messaging or social media platform. By opening the link, the recipient will be able to hop into your multiplayer session even if they aren’t already friends with you on PlayStation Network.

Earlier this month, the International Game Developers Association published a call to action urging leaders across the games industry to consider the consequences of layoffs, and prompting them to embrace sustainability.

Back in March, TechCrunch broke the news that LinkedIn was quietly testing the waters for games on its platform — word and logic puzzles similar to Wordle. Now, in an effort to attract more users and increase engagement, the platform is launching three of those games officially.

A new Batman: Arkham was just announced, but it’s not what you’d expect. Titled Batman: Arkham Shadow, it’s a VR title made exclusively for the Meta Quest 3.

Eight years after the last Batman: Arkham game, Warner Bros. has announced the next in the series: Batman: Arkham Shadow.

DeNA has changed the name of subsidiary DeNA Digital Production to Pokemon Card D Studio as of April 26, 2024, the company announced.

Blizzard has published a blog detailing the changes coming toDiablo 4 in its crucial fourth season, and given the season a name that lays it all out in the open: it’s called Loot Reborn. The focus of the season is completely revamping Diablo 4’s weak and fussy item game, making equipment drops more impactful and easier to understand.

Apple is rolling out the beta testing phase for iOS 17.5, offering developers and public beta users a sneak peek at its new features. The update is anticipated to hit devices sometime next month. Previous trends suggest a mid-May release, aligning with past x.5 updates such as iOS 16.5 on May 18, iOS 15.5 on May 16, iOS 14.5 on April 26, and iOS 13.5 on May 20. As of April 17, four beta versions of iOS 17.5 have been rolled out.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has issued a statement on recent changes to the way ricochet works in the game after members of the community pointed out one weapon in particular was killing players more than it should.

Apple has assembled a team of AI specialists from Google to establish a clandestine research hub in Zurich, as reported by the Financial Times. This covert European facility is dedicated to the development of advanced AI models and products. Analysis of LinkedIn profiles indicates that Apple has recruited 36 professionals from Google since 2018, coinciding with the appointment of John Giannandrea, formerly of Google, as Apple's top AI executive.

Google I/O 2024: Google seems to be gearing up to introduce a fresh feature for Android, which would empower your smartwatch to manage the audio output settings on your smartphone. Currently, navigating audio output sources on your Android phone is fairly straightforward. Google has already developed a system where Chromecast devices and Spotify Connect facilitate swift transfers of audio output between devices. However, this capability is confined to your phone alone. It appears that Android will soon extend this control to your smartwatch.

WhatsApp, the instant messaging platform is reportedly working on a new feature that may restrict users from sending messages. The new account restriction feature is currently in the development stage and is not ready for public use. This feature may restrict the user's ability to start a new conversation for a set amount of time. However, the purpose of the functionality is yet to be determined once it's rolled out officially. Know more about the WhatsApp account restriction feature.

AMD has revealed that it's now sampling its next-generation Zen 5 CPUs to partners including Turin "EPYC" & Strix "Ryzen" processors.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for May 1: In Garena Free Fire MAX, items such as skins, weapons, gloo walls, bundles, emotes, weapon loot crates and more, play an important part in winning the battle. While some of these items only provide a cosmetic makeover, others aid in the matches. But how to get them? The developers of the game keep introducing new events from time to time, offering players an opportunity to get their hands on similar rewards. The new Faded Wheel has been introduced and it offers the Golden Fist backpack as the top reward. Check out the details below.

We've had a lot of rampant success stories recently, ranging from small indie titles such as Palworld, to behemoths such as Larian Studios and Baldur's Gate 3. Some developers have been unfortunate to get swept up a little in the social media frenzy surrounding these titles, and the topic of Starfield's close launch next to Baldur's Gate 3 was brought up in a recent interview with Bethesda's Todd Howard.

Stellar Blade is looking to be a smash hit for developer Shift Up and PlayStation, having successfully convinced enough people to pick up and play Eve's maiden adventure. Despite having an interesting world and fluid combat, you can't say it's unfair to assume that one of the big draws for some people is Eve herself, with her body and raunchy outfits making up 99 percent of the games pre and post-launch discourse.

Rare’s Sea of Thieves is one of the most consistently beautiful-looking games we’ve ever played, with gorgeous, tropical vistas at every turn. In addition to being generally fun and colorful to look at, the world is littered with little secrets and Easter eggs for eagle-eyed players, and there have been dozens of them added over the years. Many of these were made by the developers in tribute to players and community members for particularly memorable deeds or contributions, while others are more personal and honor those lost too soon. We’ve scoured the sea to record some of our favorites.

Helldivers 2's latest patch has dropped, causing players to panic, complain, and every other massively overblown reaction you can possibly think of. One of the bigger talking points during this patch was the consequences of the game's changes to the ricochet mechanic, which was reportedly taking out players faster than a Hulk with a flamethrower. At first, it seemed that even explosions were being ricocheted back at players.

Manor Lords, the medieval-themed strategy game released in early access last week, recently got a mod that allows it to be played with a VR headset, and it's even caught the attention of the game's developer.

The forges burn with renewed vigor, stoked by braziers to hone the steel of Sanctuary’s finest. Across the land, Hell’s expanded Legions gather and multiply, marshalling their strength to ambush wanderers that fall prey to their Helltide.

I grew up adoring Lego video games, but recent efforts from TT Games like The Skywalker Saga just haven’t gelled with me. That’s why Funko Fusion piqued my interest. It’s the first release from 10:10 Games, a studio founded by TT Games founder Jon Burton and former TT Games Head of Design Arthur Parsons, and is a video game about a popular set of toys themed around certain properties. I got an early look at Funko Fusion ahead of its September 13 release date announcement, and what I saw was equal parts weird and ambitious.

Blizzard has announced the next season for Diablo IV called "Loot Reborn," but instead of introducing new mechanics and focusing on a seasonal story, season 4 will be all about reconfiguring itemization, buildcrafting, and addressing a myriad of tweaks and improvements requested by players.

It's hard to get emulators completely right with intrincate hardware designs and protections. The first version of Dolphin was released in 2003, but even after 21 years of development, there are still improvements to be made. Dolphin has now published a new progress report outlining all the new features and changes from the past few months, and there's a lot to talk about.

As Plunderstorm has ended and set sail for fairer seas, Lead Software Engineer Orlando Salvatore shared a short retrospective celebrating the heart and innovation that went into creating the standalone event! Plunderstorm AnnouncementPlunderstorm Mid-Point Statistics$50k Creator Royale Spanning just over a month, the 60v60 Battle Royale activity was an instant success! Serving as a team lead on the goblin workshop that is Blizzard's secretive experimental gameplay group, Lead Software Engineer Orlando Salvatore shared his thoughts on Twitter today, detailing innovation and experimentation that went into creating the limited-time event, making it as streamlined and user-friendly as possible for both veterans of the game and new players. An activity marked by several firsts for World of Warcraft, there are things they may try again and others they may never do again, but the clear passion and excitement that went into developing Plunderstorm was visible for all to see.

Todd Howard has said that Bethesda Game Studios is currently focused on finding ways to increase its output. 

Remedy Entertainment has provided an update on the development of Control2, Codename Condor, and the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes. 

Deliver Us the Moon and Deliver Us Mars developer KeokeN Interactive has laid off its entire staff, the studio announced.

Square Enix expects to recognize extraordinary losses of 22.1 billion yen in “content abandonment losses” for the fiscal year ended March 2024, the company announced.

The big “E3” announcement season (E3 is dead, but you know what I mean) is almost here, and Microsoft has officially staked out their spot. Taking place in early June, the Xbox Games Showcase will feature games from Microsoft’s full portfolio of developers, including “Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, Xbox Game Studios” and even some third-party publishers. Interestingly, like last year with Starfield, this will be a “double feature” with a main showcase, and a “Direct” which will dive deeper on a specific game.

NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction support has been added today to the RTX Remix open beta, allowing developers to increase the quality of ray tracing.

Deliver Us Mars developer Keoken Interactive has laid off the majority of its staff after struggling to secure funding or future work during GDC 2024.

While Square Enix may remain quiet when it comes to the development of , a new report alleges that the highly-anticipated sequel could be out sooner than expected. Despite its massive fanbase and passionate community, isn't exactly known for maintaining a consistent release schedule given that over a decade passed between the launch of the second and third games. Smaller titles have been released for handheld systems and mobile devices in that time span, but the mainline franchise has always suffered when it comes to consistent releases.

Funko Inc. and developer 10:10 Games have announced that 20(!) franchises will be a part of their upcoming Funko Pop-based co-op action game Funko Fusion. They also announced a release date for PC and consoles: September 13. Check out the new gameplay trailer above and a half-dozen screenshots showing off some of the crossover IPs in the gallery below.

Despite being one of the most successful games released by Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake II still hasn't recouped its expenses, according to a new financial report.

The "retired" Cheyenne Supercomputer is finally up for auction by the GSA, currently going for around $10,000, which is nothing when you consider what Cheyenne hosts.

Square Enix has announced that it “expects to recognize extraordinary losses” for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, attributing them as “content abandonment losses”. The Japanese company has, in other words, cancelled undisclosed projects, owing to which it will incur losses amounting to ¥22.1 billion (roughly $140.4 million).

More than a month has passed since developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released the big 1.6 update for Stardew Valley, but the fun isn’t over yet. Barone teamed up with writer Ryan Novak to craft the Official Stardew Valley Cookbook. Publisher Random House Worlds will launch the book on May 14. You can already pre-order it from online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.

Todd Howard says Bethesda is working on getting games into players' hands more quickly.

The developer of Manor Lords has responded to crash complaints, explaining that most crashes are due to old drivers. 

The developer of upcoming Sims competitor, Life By You, has confirmed it's ready to launch on its new Early Access release date, and it's right around the corner. 

Worlds worth getting lost in are the bread and butter of gaming. This month is all about celebrating that, kicking off with a look at FromSoftware’s hefty expansion for their unique take on open worlds, Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree.

Square Enix looks to have canceled multiple unannounced games, accruing more than $140 million in development costs on said games.

Baldur's Gate 3 launched last year to widespread acclaim, and you can count Mr. Skyrim, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls 6 himself to its many admirers.

Whenever Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead releases a big balance update for the PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter, the community debates the various nerfs and buffs as it gets to grips with the evolving meta. After this week’s release of patch 01.000.300, which tweaked a long list of weapons, stratagems, and enemies, the debate was especially vociferous.

With all things Fallout now enjoying a significant boost following the breakout success of the Fallout TV show, Fallout 76 is enjoying a significant rise in player numbers. Last week, Bethesda announced that Fallout 76, its most recent mainline Fallout game, saw over one million people play in a single day.

Square Enix has revised its approach to PC and console game development, and absorbed ¥22.1 billion (approx $140.9 million) in what it calls “content abandonment losses.”

Fallout 5 won't start development until after The Elder Scrolls 6 launches, so we're a long way off from the next numbered game in the series, but the Amazon show has ignited a newfound hype in the franchise. So, the question is whether a third party will develop a spin-off akin to Obsidian's New Vegas in the meantime.

After iOS, the EU has targeted Apple once again with respect to iPadOS, calling it a digital gatekeeper. What this means is that the changes imposed by the EU under the Digital Markets Act for the iPhone will be coming to the iPad. In lieu of recent events, Epic has announced that it will be bringing back Fortnite to the iPad as well.

Gray Zone Warfare, the tactical first-person shooter PC game currently ranked 7th on Steam's global wishlist, will launch tomorrow in early access. The news was shared this afternoon by Czech developer MADFINGER Games, formerly known for hit mobile releases like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger.

Apple's highly anticipated new model of the Vision Pro headset is facing delays until late 2026, accompanied by reports of lower-than-expected demand. While these developments might raise concerns, they do not diminish the long-term potential of Apple's vision products.

Slayer is one of those fighting game characters who's always oozed cool, and the wizards at Arc System Works have somehow made him cooler than ever in Guilty Gear Strive. His debut trailer is a feast for the eyes, as we get to gawk at his fresh design and new moves. He's the fourth and final DLC character for Season 3, with Season 4 confirmed to be in development.

If you were hoping the news Housemarque has to share tomorrow is a Returnal sequel announcement, you may want to rein your expectations in by quite a significant amount.

Kaizen Game Works, the studio behind the cracking detective adventure Paradise Killer, has just revealed its second game, and it looks every bit as bizarrely intriguing. Titled Promise Mascot Agency, this unique indie title is heading to PS5 and PS4 in 2025, and based on the debut trailer we're so on board.

Classic RPGs Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII have been referenced as inspirations behind a new galaxy-spanning RPG set for release on PS5, PS4 later this year. Beyond Galaxyland, from individual developer Sam Enright, is «an all-new take on the beloved RPG adventures of old» with an active turn-based combat system, platforming, and puzzle solving from the 2.5D perspective. Check out the announcement trailer above.

Popular MOBA game SMITE is getting a sequel, and you’ll soon be able to play it yourself. While the release date for Smite 2 is still a ways off, developer Hi-Rez Studios is letting fans get an early look at the title with a closed alpha test.

Kingdom Hearts IV will grace PS5 boxes next year, according to the increasingly reliable online tipster Daniel Richtman (DanielRPK). The TV and film leaker posted to his Patreon that he's heard about a 2025 release date for Kingdom Hearts IV, just days after his claim Sonic Frontiers 2 is in development was backed up by another reliable insider in Midori. The rumour may suggest we'll see more of the Square Enix title later in 2024 after two years of radio silence since its reveal.

Returnal developer Housemarque has this morning posted a cryptic tweet teasing… something for tomorrow. The team out of Finland uploaded a black and white image seemingly featuring Returnal protagonist Selene's eyes reflected onto broken shards of glass, then teasing news «tomorrow» in a yellow font. You can view the tweet below.

Stellar Blade launched last week, yet you wouldn't believe it with all the talk surrounding the title to do with censorship and the game's jiggle physics. If you were, let's say, the developer of a cozy indie farming sim that had previously shown very little concern about how bouncy their female characters' chests are, now would be the worst time to make a comment about it.

Today Christie Golden, writer, author, and storyteller, announced on Twitter that she is no longer an employee at Blizzard and was let go in the last round of layoffs. Golden has been working on Blizzard IPs for over 25 years, the last 6+ directly as an employee on Blizzard's Story & Franchise Development Team. While never an employee on the World of Warcraft team directly, Golden contributed cinematic scripts and short stories for the franchise while at Blizzard. Separately, Golden has written novel tie-ins for the game both before and during her employment at the company. Some of Golden's notable contributions to WoW are:

Pocketpair has announced that Palworld is going to be getting four new Pals, though they have not been named yet. They will be part of the updates coming this summer for the game, and it looks like a new area could be in the works too, but the PvP mode for Palworld is not likely to be released during the summer.

Promise Mascot Agency! has been revealed by the Paradise Killer developers Kaizen Game Works. Promise Mascot Agency! is an open world mascot management crime drama, where you play as a disgraced Yakuza lieutenant called Michi. He is sent to the bankrupt agency and is tasked with turning it into a profitable business.

Beyond Galaxyland has been revealed by developer Sam Enright, and it is due to come out later this year. In Beyond Galaxyland, the main character is Doug, a high schooler, who is transported away from Earth moments before the planet is mysteriously destroyed, and arrives in a galactic zoo called Galaxyland.