development team Archives

AppWizard

May 22, 2026

Thank You for Playing Forza Horizon 6!

The Forza Horizon 6 development team is utilizing community feedback from the Forza Feedback Portal to shape the game's future. Players can share suggestions, upvote feature requests, and report bugs to improve the gameplay experience. The Forza Discord allows players to connect and form Convoys, while the game features events like Car Meets and Drag Meets to foster community engagement. Players are encouraged to follow @ForzaHorizon on social media for updates and visit Forza.net for more information on upcoming changes.

Winsage

May 22, 2026

Microsoft’s PowerToys is getting a low memory mode that kills idle utilities hogging Windows 11 RAM

Microsoft PowerToys is introducing a new optional low memory mode to address significant memory usage from inactive background processes. This feature, developed by an independent contributor, will close the helper process of specific utilities when not in use, allowing users to relaunch them with a hotkey, albeit with a slightly slower initial launch. The initial rollout will support four tools: Text Extractor, Color Picker, Advanced Paste, and Peek. A shared settings map and helper APIs have been introduced to facilitate this feature, which was renamed to “Close apps when inactive” during the code review process. Users can enable this memory-saving behavior globally or for specific applications, with each supported module featuring a toggle on its settings page. The feature is not yet available in PowerToys, and the default behavior will keep background processes running until users opt into the new feature. The code has passed initial validation checks and is awaiting final confirmation before public release.

AppWizard

May 22, 2026

Witcher 3’s heaviest scene stunned its devs into silence, but Cyberpunk 2’s associate director says it was crucial for ‘understanding the craft’ of quest design

In 2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a significant moment occurs when the character Vesemir, a beloved witcher-grandfather figure, dies. Lead quest designer Paweł Sasko proposed this shocking twist, which initially left the development team in disbelief. Despite facing technical challenges and negative feedback during the creation of this scene, Sasko persevered and iterated on the design, ultimately shaping the narrative's emotional depth. This experience influenced his future projects, including Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion, Phantom Liberty. The collaborative environment among designers fostered innovation and problem-solving, contributing to the game's impactful moments.

AppWizard

May 22, 2026

Bungie isn’t immediately making Destiny 3, is planning layoffs, reports Bloomberg

Bungie has announced that Destiny 2 will no longer receive live service content updates. There are currently no specific projects greenlit for the Destiny 2 development team. Bungie is transitioning to focus on incubating its next games, with a spin-off titled Payback in the pipeline. The extraction shooter Marathon has launched but has not met sales expectations. Bungie plans to introduce a more casual PvE mode in an upcoming update to attract players from the Arc Raiders community.

AppWizard

May 19, 2026

I’m not sure who the PUBG x Payday collab is for, or why it exists

Developers of PUBG are introducing a map selection feature despite concerns that it could lead to longer wait times and more bot players. They believe this will enhance the game experience. PUBG has also collaborated with the game Payday, introducing a new game mode with monetary incentives for players. The gameplay in this mode has been described as unremarkable and feels more like a marketing strategy than a genuine enhancement. The developers expressed concerns about dividing the matchmaking pool and affecting overall quality in a letter regarding the new feature. The Payday heist mode incentivizes participation through in-game rewards but lacks the tension that has contributed to PUBG's longevity. Additionally, a 0,000 prize pool for streamers based on viewer numbers aims to draw attention to the new mode but feels inorganic. There seems to be a conflict within the development team between preserving player experience and diversifying the game, which could risk alienating the player base.

AppWizard

May 17, 2026

Total War Medieval 3 aims for emergent character growth: “We have no plans for skill trees”

Total War Medieval 3 is in development by Creative Assembly, with Creative Director Leif Walter actively communicating with the community. The team has decided against including skill trees in the game due to concerns about repetitiveness, instead opting for emergent gameplay elements like traits and ancillaries. The focus will be on dynasties rather than individual characters, allowing players to cultivate distinct identities over a long time span. Walter acknowledged the influence of the modding community, specifically citing Europa Barbarorum 2 and the Stainless Steel megapack as inspirations. He emphasized the need to balance accessibility and depth in the game, ensuring it remains engaging for both experienced and less experienced players while maintaining historical authenticity.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

Destruction sandbox Besiege’s new space DLC gets far bigger than anything you’ve seen before

Besiege: The Broken Beyond is the next expansion for the sandbox game Besiege, set to release in the second quarter of 2026. This expansion introduces a universe with varying gravitational forces and features larger, immersive environments compared to previous versions. Players will encounter celestial bodies like asteroids and planets, each affecting gameplay through unique gravitational fields. The game aims to balance realistic physics with whimsical gameplay, adhering to the inverse square law for gravitational pull. Different celestial shapes will provide varied gravitational experiences, and players will face challenges such as space debris and obstacles. Further insights into the game’s mechanics, including planetary atmospheres, will be revealed as the release date approaches.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

How Poppy Playtime made ‘free game, paid DLC’ work on PC

GameDiscoverCo held its annual offsite gathering, discussing various industry developments. Footprints.gg reported significant buzz for Forza Horizon 6 ahead of its launch, with GTA 6 also trending due to trailer speculation. Xbox plans include Project Saluki, a new Game Pass tier for the Chinese market, and Positron, potentially introducing a disc-to-digital entitlement program. Steam's bundle discounting interface has sparked discussions about pricing strategies. The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for May includes Star Wars Outlaws and Red Dead Redemption 2. Roblox is experiencing shifts in user-generated content rights and cost models. The Source 2-powered s&box has launched on Steam, but interest is waning. Hushcrasher's analysis indicates rising game production costs are due to project scope rather than base costs. Concurrent user metrics suggest week one sales can reach 20 times peak concurrent users. Poppy Playtime, a horror puzzle game, has expanded from a free title to four paid chapters, with Huggy Wuggy becoming a popular character. Mob Entertainment, founded by brothers with a background in 3D animation, has seen Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 sell 408,000 copies on Steam and 19,000 on Epic Games Store. The free base game has 2.76 million downloads on Steam since the chapter's release. The franchise's revenue from four DLCs exceeds a million on Steam, with potential total revenue approaching 100 million when including console and mobile sales. The development team employs a parallel strategy for annual chapter releases, with varying DLC structures across platforms. The pricing of DLC has increased over time, reflecting greater ambition in production. Game director Bryce Clark emphasizes balancing puzzles and chase sequences to enhance player experience.

AppWizard

May 12, 2026

Popular PlayStation emulator clamps down on AI submissions: ‘Leave behind something useful to humanity when you’re gone, instead of peddling slop’

The RPCS3 development team has publicly addressed the influx of AI-generated pull requests (PRs) in their project, urging contributors to stop submitting what they call "AI slop code" and warning that they will ban those who do not disclose AI contributions. They expressed concern over poorly constructed PRs, particularly affecting their macOS build, and emphasized the importance of understanding the code being contributed. The team clarified that their issue is not with the use of AI code itself, but with the lack of disclosure. They have established new guidelines for AI contributions, allowing the use of AI tools for research and reverse engineering, but requiring contributors to fully understand and take ownership of their code. All communication with the team must come from human contributors, not AI.

BetaBeacon

May 12, 2026

Why GameHub 6.0 is a Massive Leap for PC Emulation on Android

The redesigned user interface in GameHub 6.0 focuses on making navigation more intuitive, with two new view modes for customization. The app also allows users to log in directly to their Steam or Epic Games Store accounts, simplifying access to existing game libraries. The update introduces performance improvements, including frame generation technology and compatibility with Proton and Wine for a smoother gaming experience. GameHub 6.0 is optimized for high-end devices, with customizable GPU drivers and device-specific optimizations. Community-driven profiles for game settings and other features enhance gameplay, while some limitations are expected to be addressed in future updates. Extensive testing has been done on various devices, with high-end devices showing the most noticeable performance improvements. Overall, GameHub 6.0 Beta sets a new standard for mobile gaming applications and promises a promising future for Android gaming.