In the third quarter of the 2024 fiscal year, Microsoft's gaming division reached new heights. The company's revenue grew by 51%, and income from games, subscriptions, and services increased by 62%. This success was made possible after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, whose financial results are now included in the overall figures with Xbox.

Despite the overall success, sales of the Xbox Series X|S consoles are showing a decline. In the third quarter, revenue from these devices fell by 31% compared to last year. Even the release of new exclusives like Starfield and Forza Motorsport could not stabilize the situation after a temporary increase during the Christmas quarter.

However, Microsoft's overall figures remain quite impressive. In the third quarter, the corporation's total revenue reached $61.9 billion, and net income was $21.9 billion, up 17% and 20% respectively compared to last year.

The Xbox Game Pass service continues to attract users: just in the first 10 days after adding Diablo IV to the catalog, subscribers spent over 10 million hours playing the game. This is one of the best results among all games from Microsoft's internal studios.

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Rocksteady Studios' latest co-op action game, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League," has faced significant setbacks in maintaining an active player base less than three months post-launch. Over the last 24 hours, the peak concurrent player count has plummeted to just 209, indicating a steep decline in the game’s appeal.

Initially, there was a surge in player engagement following the introduction of the first season and the addition of the Joker as a playable character. However, this uptick was short-lived. Current data from SteamDB suggests that the game could soon see its concurrent player numbers fall below 100, jeopardizing future development and support. Given Rocksteady's prior success with the Batman game series, this downturn could have severe repercussions for the studio's reputation and upcoming projects.

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Developers at GSC Game World have released a new trailer titled "This is Not Paradise" for their upcoming game, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The trailer showcases the grim locales of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, setting the stage for a survival adventure among mutants, anomalies, and hostile factions. The game promises a rich, non-linear storyline and advanced graphics developed using photogrammetry and scanning techniques.

The trailer also highlights various interactive elements and RPG features that immerse players deeper into the survival atmosphere. Attention to detail in the game environment makes it feel alive and menacing.

Scheduled for release on September 5, 2024, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be available on Windows and Xbox Series X/S platforms and included in the Xbox Game Pass from day one. Pre-orders are already open on platforms like Steam and GOG, where players can secure exclusive bonuses.

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Epic Games has unveiled the latest version of its Unreal Engine 5.4, now available to developers. According to recent updates, this new version promises significant performance improvements, enabling 60 frames per second even on current-gen consoles. Additionally, Unreal Engine 5.4 features enhancements in shader compilation that should minimize delays in some games developed on this engine.

Among other innovations are "Adaptive Tessellation" in Nanite technology, allowing the creation of highly detailed textures and ground covers without significant computational power costs, and "Heterogeneous Volumes" for realistic dynamic smoke and clouds. The Temporal Super Resolution scaling technology has also been improved, along with expanded capabilities for integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning tools.

One of the projects already utilizing the new UE 5.4 capabilities is "1943: Rise of Hydra," produced by Amy Hennig, which showcased the potential of the latest tools at an early access stage.

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Rumors have surfaced about Sony Interactive Entertainment considering an Xbox release for Helldivers 2, as mentioned by insider Shpeshal_Nick on the XboxEra podcast. Hiroki Totoki, the interim CEO of Sony, has previously expressed interest in making PlayStation games available on additional platforms. Currently, discussions are very preliminary with no guarantees of the project moving forward.

Originally launched in February for PlayStation 5 and PC, Helldivers 2 was initially planned only for these platforms. Although Totoki has mainly focused on bringing games to PC, there's potential for expansion to other consoles. This move could respond to falling operating profits and increasing market competition. With Microsoft already releasing its games on PlayStation consoles, Sony might follow suit, setting a precedent for similar actions.

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Slated for a 2024 release, "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2" from Warhorse Studios reaffirms its commitment to the CryEngine, despite the popularity of Unreal Engine 5. PR Manager Tobias Stolz-Zwilling emphasized that the team has further modified the engine to meet the specific needs of the game, ensuring high visual appeal and performance stability.

Stolz-Zwilling explains that sticking with CryEngine is due to the studio's already established internal workflows centered around this technology. "Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2" will retain the realistic feel of its predecessor but will feature a more accessible combat system. The game will introduce improved world interaction and more natural NPC communication through a new quick-response mode.

Available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X, the game will offer two maps, each twice the size of the original game's map. The plot promises to be darker and more epic, with visual rendering powered by CryEngine being a major highlight of the sequel.

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It has recently come to light that there has been a significant data breach at CD Projekt RED, known for their projects The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077. An anonymous user has posted online the working passwords to the protected archives, allowing access to the source codes of these games, including their updated versions.

The source codes for Gwent and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales are also accessible now. This information has begun to spread across various piracy platforms, despite the company’s previous efforts to enhance information security and the introduction of REDkit for The Witcher 3, aimed at expanding mod creators' capabilities.

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