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"Gabe really had a great vision": Steam became a PC gaming cornerstone because Valve built a community with "stickiness," says Nightdive chief who worked on GameStop's Steam competitor
AppWizard
April 3, 2026

“Gabe really had a great vision”: Steam became a PC gaming cornerstone because Valve built a community with “stickiness,” says Nightdive chief who worked on GameStop’s Steam competitor

GameStop was a pioneer in digital distribution before Valve's Steam became the leading platform for PC gaming. Larry Kuperman, a veteran of the gaming industry, contributed to the development of Impulse, an online store acquired by GameStop. In the 2000s, third-party digital distribution was not intuitive, as game sales were primarily controlled by physical retailers. BioWare regretted not creating a platform like Steam. Amazon's attempts to compete with Steam were unsuccessful. Kuperman attributes Steam's success to its community-building efforts, which fostered loyalty among users. The platform significantly lowered barriers for game developers, allowing anyone to publish games for a nominal fee. Steam has been crucial for indie developers, providing extensive reach and discoverability compared to other platforms like GOG. Kuperman credits GOG as essential for his work at Nightdive, and Gabe Newell's ideas continued to shape Valve after he stepped back from active development.
Owlcat says everything in its new Expanse RPG 'will definitely 100 percent be human-made,' but also that generative AI will be used for 'vision coordination' and 'inspiration'
AppWizard
March 29, 2026

Owlcat says everything in its new Expanse RPG ‘will definitely 100 percent be human-made,’ but also that generative AI will be used for ‘vision coordination’ and ‘inspiration’

Owlcat's PR manager, Katharina Popp, clarified that generative AI is used in the development of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn only for prototyping and testing ideas, not for creating final game assets. Popp emphasized that all final content will be 100% human-made. This stance aligns with the studio's previous communications regarding AI's role in early concept generation. Other developers, like Pearl Abyss, have expressed similar views, stating that AI-generated art is intended only as prototype material. The gaming community's response has been mixed, with some expressing skepticism about the use of AI in creative processes.
In defense of placeholder assets: why generative AI accidentally appears in so many games
AppWizard
March 28, 2026

In defense of placeholder assets: why generative AI accidentally appears in so many games

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has acknowledged the use of generative AI in its development, while Pearl Abyss apologized for unintentionally including AI-generated assets in Crimson Desert. Other games like The Alters and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have faced similar issues with AI elements. Developers are increasingly cautious about AI integration, with some, like Arc Raiders, moving away from AI-generated voice actors. When AI-generated art appears, developers often claim these were placeholders, which raises concerns about their inclusion in final products. Josh Sawyer highlighted the importance of distinguishing between temporary and final assets in his project Pentiment. The creative process relies on human vision and artistry, which generative AI cannot replicate. Additionally, the environmental impact of AI technology is a concern due to the energy demands of data centers. Developers' claims of unintended AI assets raise questions about transparency, contrasting with Owlcat's open acknowledgment. Players react negatively to AI-generated artwork, leading to swift apologies from developers, highlighting the tension between AI use and artistic integrity.
Back up and secure your computers with Acronis True Image — now 50% off for a limited time
Tech Optimizer
March 27, 2026

Back up and secure your computers with Acronis True Image — now 50% off for a limited time

Acronis is offering a price reduction of up to 50% on its True Image product until April 17, with three plans available: Essentials, Advanced, and Premium. Customers can receive a 30% discount for a single computer and a 50% discount for three or five PCs. Acronis True Image provides full system image backups, continuous antivirus and anti-malware protection, and supports both local and cloud storage options. The product includes built-in ransomware protection and allows for quick restoration of files in case of data loss.
Bogus Avast website fakes virus scan, installs Venom Stealer instead
Tech Optimizer
March 27, 2026

Bogus Avast website fakes virus scan, installs Venom Stealer instead

A deceptive website impersonating Avast antivirus tricks users into downloading Venom Stealer malware, which steals passwords, session cookies, and cryptocurrency wallet information. The site conducts a fake virus scan, falsely reporting threats to encourage users to download a malicious file named Avastsystemcleaner.exe. This file mimics legitimate software and operates stealthily, targeting web browsers to harvest credentials and session cookies. It also captures screenshots and sends stolen data to the command-and-control domain app-metrics-cdn[.]com via unencrypted HTTP. The malware employs evasion techniques to avoid detection and is part of a long-standing cybercrime tactic that exploits user trust in security software. Indicators of compromise include the file hash SHA-256: ecbeaa13921dbad8028d29534c3878503f45a82a09cf27857fa4335bd1c9286d, the domain app-metrics-cdn[.]com, and the network indicator 104.21.14.89.
Owlcat is using generative AI for The Expanse Osiris Reborn, but the final game will be "100% human made"
AppWizard
March 27, 2026

Owlcat is using generative AI for The Expanse Osiris Reborn, but the final game will be “100% human made”

Owlcat has admitted to using generative AI in the development of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, specifically for prototyping and placeholders, which will be replaced before final assets are created. PR manager Katharina Popp clarified that this approach is intended to streamline development, allowing for rapid iteration. However, this decision has sparked debate among fans, many of whom prefer human creativity over AI-generated content. Owlcat previously stated that generative AI was not used in their other titles, raising questions about their commitment to originality. The community has expressed resistance to the technology, with some players stating they do not want to play games that incorporate generative AI.
Microsoft Introduces WinApp CLI to Unify Windows App Development Workflows
Winsage
March 27, 2026

Microsoft Introduces WinApp CLI to Unify Windows App Development Workflows

In January 2026, Microsoft launched the public preview of the WinApp CLI, a command-line tool for Windows application development that is open source and supports various frameworks including .NET, C++, Electron, and Rust. The tool aims to simplify the complexities of Windows development by providing a unified entry point for environment setup, configuration, and packaging. Key features include the winapp init command for environment initialization, the winapp create-debug-identity command for attaching package identities without full MSIX packaging, and automation capabilities for manifests, certificates, and signing processes. The CLI also supports Electron and Node.js scenarios, allowing developers to inject package identity into running Electron processes. The WinApp CLI is currently in public preview, with potential changes before general availability, and an updated version 0.2.0 was released in late February 2026. It can be accessed via WinGet, npm, and as a GitHub project for community contributions.
Announcing Babylon.js 9.0
Winsage
March 27, 2026

Announcing Babylon.js 9.0

Babylon.js 9.0 has been released, marking the most extensive update to date, featuring new tools and enhancements for web developers. Key features include: - Clustered Lighting: Accelerates per-pixel lighting calculations by grouping lights into screen-space tiles and depth slices, improving performance in scenes with many lights. - Textured Area Lights: Area lights now support emission textures, allowing images to be used as light sources for realistic lighting effects. - Node Particle Editor: A visual tool for creating complex particle systems using a non-destructive node graph interface. - Particle Flow Maps and Attractors: Introduces flow maps for controlling particle movement and gravity attractors for dynamic effects. - Volumetric Lighting: A system for realistic light scattering through fog and haze, with configurable parameters for artistic control. - Frame Graph: A Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) system for managing the rendering pipeline, optimizing GPU memory usage by over 40%. - Animation Retargeting: Allows animations from one character to be applied to another with different skeleton structures, enabling animation sharing across diverse characters. - Advanced Gaussian Splat Support: Enhancements for Gaussian Splatting, including support for multiple file formats, shadow casting, and the ability to create and modify splat data programmatically. These features enhance the capabilities of Babylon.js for creating immersive web experiences.
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