Bethesda Game Studios has recently rolled out update 1.9.67 for Starfield, marking a significant enhancement in the game's technical performance and visual quality. This update is noteworthy for its incorporation of AMD FSR 3 and Intel XeSS technologies, aimed at improving frame rates and image quality across a wide range of hardware configurations. Notably, AMD FSR 3 offers a substantial performance boost for gamers without the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs, expanding access to advanced graphical enhancements to a broader audience.
In addition to these pivotal updates, the patch addresses several issues to enhance the gaming experience further. Stability improvements have been introduced, including adjustments to the management of FormIDs upon loading saves, which is expected to result in more stable gameplay for those who have explored extensively within the game world. The update also resolves a specific crash scenario related to the Ship Builder menu and makes minor corrections to prevent visual anomalies when aiming weapons or task swapping.
Graphical refinements include fixes for cloud vibration appearances when using DLSS performance mode and the prevention of minor visual artifacts. Furthermore, the update reverts a previous change that affected screenshot functionality on PC and corrects an issue that reset the resolution scale when switching between fullscreen and windowed modes.
This patch follows a previous major update earlier in the year that introduced improvements to lighting and character facial animations, signaling Bethesda's ongoing commitment to enhancing Starfield's visual and performance quality. Looking ahead, 2024 promises to be an eventful year for Starfield players, with Bethesda teasing future updates that will introduce city maps, new travel methods, official modding tools, and the much-anticipated Shattered Space expansion.
This latest update not only underscores Bethesda's dedication to supporting a wide array of hardware but also sets the stage for an exciting year of content and enhancements for Starfield enthusiasts.
Заголовок: "Starfield обновляется: ввод поддержки AMD FSR 3 и Intel XeSS в последнем патче от Bethesda Game Studios"
After years of anticipation and development, Ubisoft's AAAA project "Skull and Bones" has finally been released, only to face a cold reception from the gaming community. Despite being eagerly awaited, the game has been deemed the worst of 2024 by players on Metacritic, earning it a notably low user score.
Contrary to expectations, "Skull and Bones" failed to surpass even the success of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, released back in 2013, despite its price tag of $70 for the standard edition and $100 for the premium edition. Gamers highlighted a discrepancy between price and quality, while game journalists also expressed moderate enthusiasm in their reviews.
When compared to other 2024 releases, "Skull and Bones" stands slightly better in the Metascore rankings, which are based on journalist reviews. Titles such as Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Foamstars, The Inquisitor, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, The Outlast Trials, and Sons of the Forest showed lower ratings, despite some being available in early access since 2023 and expected to fully launch in 2024.
Spanning over 11 years of development, "Skull and Bones" aimed to offer players an exhilarating pirate adventure but encountered issues in audience reception, reflected in its current standing on Metacritic. The future of the project remains uncertain as Ubisoft seeks ways to improve the game experience in response to community feedback.
Arrowhead Game Studios has achieved significant success with the release of Helldivers 2, making it Sony's most successful game on Steam to date. Recent data shows that the game's peak concurrent players on Steam reached nearly 334,000 (333,827), an impressive feat that not only stands out on its own but also allowed the game to surpass other titles such as Microsoft's Starfield and the now Sony-owned Destiny 2 in this metric.
This peak performance also positions Helldivers 2 as the leader among all PlayStation games on PC, outpacing even successful launches like God of War on Steam. Johan Pilestedt, the CEO and Creative Director of Arrowhead, previously revealed that the game sold around 1 million copies, with sales between PC and PS5 distributed roughly equally.
Despite the success, developers have faced challenges with server and game stability. To improve stability, Arrowhead has decided to cap the total number of players at approximately 450,000. This decision was made following a spike in concurrent players, which led to technical issues including mission payout failures, some players being kicked to their ships, or being logged out.
Helldivers 2 is now globally available for PC and PlayStation 5, and despite technical difficulties, the game continues to attract attention from the gaming community and analysts. The success of this title is likely to be closely monitored by Sony's leadership, potentially influencing the company's future strategy in the PC market.
Respawn Entertainment, known for Apex Legends, is working on a new Star Wars game that offers players a unique experience as a Mandalorian bounty hunter. Insider Tom Henderson has revealed that the game will allow players to explore various planets in the Star Wars universe, featuring a collection of linear levels. Gameplay will be centered around the use of a jetpack for fast-paced movements, jumps, and boost slides, with gameplay style rewarded through health restoration for consecutive kills.
The protagonist's arsenal will include a variety of weapons and combat tools, such as wrist rockets, a grappling hook, and a visor for marking bounties and enemies. Henderson highlighted that the game is in the early stages of development and its release is expected no sooner than a year or two.
This news arrives amidst anticipation for another Star Wars game by Ubisoft Massive — Star Wars Outlaws, set to be an open-world game placed between "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." The story will focus on Kay Vess, who becomes the galaxy's most wanted.
Meanwhile, Star Wars fans are eagerly discussing the potential content of Respawn's new game, speculating it could be a much-awaited continuation of iconic series such as Jedi Academy, The Force Unleashed, and even Knights of the Old Republic. Given the popularity of "The Mandalorian" series and the character Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, the choice of game theme seems well justified.
As Xbox Game Pass continues to solidify its market presence, surpassing 34 million subscribers, Phil Spencer announced. This achievement is reinforced by the news that the service will exclusively evolve within the Microsoft ecosystem, with no plans to expand to PlayStation or Nintendo platforms.
In the context of Xbox Game Pass's strategic library expansion, Sarah Bond announced in an official Xbox podcast the addition of Diablo IV to the service starting March 28. This marks the first game from Activision Blizzard to be available on Game Pass following Microsoft's acquisition for $68.7 billion in October 2023. The acquisition has enriched Microsoft's portfolio with popular franchises such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo, bolstering expectations for future additions to Game Pass.
Sarah Bond emphasized Microsoft's commitment to game accessibility and support for Xbox fans, stating that Activision and Blizzard games would start appearing in Game Pass beginning with Diablo IV. This announcement is part of Microsoft's overall strategy to integrate popular franchises into its subscription service, making them accessible to a broad audience.
The new Xbox strategy and the inclusion of Activision Blizzard games in Game Pass are confirmed ahead of the major Xbox presentation in June, where more announcements and details about this and other expansion plans for the catalog are expected.
In response to the challenges posed by the current market environment, Embracer Group announces significant changes in its structure and development strategy. Recently, the company decided to undergo restructuring, leading to a reduction in the number of game projects and optimization of the number of studios and employees.
By the end of 2023, as part of these changes, 29 unannounced game projects were canceled, affecting the total number of developments: from 153 project teams working on game creation in the first quarter, this figure dropped to 124 by the third quarter. This decision is part of a strategy to reduce expenses and increase the efficiency of the holding's operations.
The restructuring also significantly impacted the structure of the affiliated studios: the number of studios decreased from 139 to 132, and the number of externally financed partners was reduced from 59 to 50. Unfortunately, these measures resulted in about 1,400 employees (8% of the total workforce) being forced to seek new employment.
Among the most significant studio closures were Volition, known for its last project – the unsuccessful reboot of Saints Row, and Free Radical Design, the developer behind TimeSplitters. Additionally, there was information about the potential sale of Gearbox, as well as layoffs at Gearbox Publishing, Crystal Dynamics, Zen Studios, and Eidos Montreal.
Embracer Group confirms that all the measures taken are part of a pre-planned restructuring strategy aimed at optimizing the holding's operations in the current economic climate. The company aims for more efficient resource utilization, which, in their view, will strengthen market positions and ensure a sustainable future.
In the latest Q3 2023 financial report, Sony disclosed new sales figures for the PlayStation 5 and shared insights from company executives. This comes alongside news of Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan's impending retirement. Hiroki Totoki, the Chief Operating Officer, will temporarily step in as interim CEO to facilitate the transition.
Totoki has expressed a commitment to deepening Sony's multiplatform strategy, with a particular focus on releasing first-party games on PC. This move is seen as a strategy to improve operating profits by expanding the user base and accelerating the porting process of games to PC. The success of Helldivers 2 on PC, which recently hit a new peak of 203K concurrent users, underscores the potential of this approach.
Sony is considering earlier releases of its exclusive titles on PC to offset the anticipated decline in PlayStation 5 hardware sales as the console moves into the latter half of its lifecycle. This could be key to expanding the user base and increasing the company's operating profit.
Microsoft plans to expand the availability of its Xbox exclusives by starting with the porting of Hi-Fi RUSH from the creators of The Evil Within and Pentiment from the creator of Fallout: New Vegas to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. This move marks a significant shift in the company's strategy, aiming to increase its user base and revenues by making its games available on competing platforms. In 2024, Sea of Thieves will also join the list, with several other titles currently under consideration.
This decision by Microsoft is driven by the slowdown in the growth of Xbox Game Pass subscribers, which has increased from 25 million users at the beginning of 2022 to 33 million, below the expected growth rate. In response, the company is looking for new ways to increase the revenues of its gaming division, which continues to offer all new internal studio games on subscription from their release day.
Ahead of the official announcement, Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty are preparing to discuss the future of Xbox and answer key questions in a dedicated podcast scheduled for February 15. This dialogue is intended as a platform to explain the strategic shift and its potential impact on the gaming industry.
Expanding Xbox game availability on other platforms raises questions about multiplayer prospects and the need to purchase an Xbox console, especially if games will be available on PC, cloud, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. This strategy represents the company's attempt to adapt to the changing video game market, where the boundaries between platforms are blurring, and creates new opportunities for players to enjoy their favorite titles on various devices.
The remake of Silent Hill 2 by Bloober Team is approaching its final stages of development, producer Motoi Okamoto revealed in a recent interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu. Despite nearing completion, Konami is not yet ready to announce a release date, urging fans to keep an eye on Silent Hill: The Short Message in the meantime.
In January, during the State of Play presentation, Bloober Team showcased a trailer focusing on the remake's combat system. The reception from the audience was lukewarm, with many fans expressing concerns about the future of the series and the remake itself.
Okamoto assured that the new version of the iconic horror game would live up to the original's reputation, delighting fans with its modern visuals while maintaining the overall quality and atmosphere that made Silent Hill 2 a classic.
The remake is being developed for PlayStation 5 and PC. Details about the release date and additional information on the game, including potential enhancements and gameplay innovations, will be disclosed later.
Ahead of the highly anticipated launch of its pirate action game Skull and Bones, Ubisoft confirms the game will be priced at $90. This decision sparked debate among players and critics, especially in light of the open beta testing conducted last week. During the test, gamers encountered access issues, leading to a wave of dissatisfaction due to technical glitches.
In response to queries about the justification for the price, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated that Skull and Bones is a "high-quality premium release" deserving of its $90 price tag. He emphasized that the game is a AAAA project, and its cost reflects the efforts and quality invested in its development.
This statement was made in the context of the company's quarterly report, where Guillemot explained the decision against adopting a freemium distribution model despite the game featuring a service model, in-game store, and battle pass. According to him, the company aims to offer players a complete product that justifies its cost with a unique gaming experience.
Criticism of Ubisoft's pricing policy is not new, but it is rarely addressed at investor meetings, as noted by PC Gamer. Pricing queries are often seen as veiled criticism, especially when it concerns high-quality game projects.
Skull and Bones is scheduled for release on February 16th on PC (via Ubisoft Connect and EGS), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Buyers of the premium edition and Ubisoft+ subscribers will gain access to the game three days ahead of the official launch, providing an additional advantage for pre-orders.
