director Archives

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

New GOG owner reckons it doesn’t have to beat Steam outright, just do a few things better: “If there’s a version of the game that’s clearly better on GOG, and it has the promise that it will run forever… people will come”

Michał Kiciński, co-founder of CD Projekt and owner of GOG, is adopting a nuanced strategy for digital game distribution, avoiding direct competition with Steam. GOG's managing director, Maciej Gołębiewski, emphasizes leveraging their strengths, while Kiciński believes in the quality of GOG's offerings and user loyalty. He envisions that as gamers recognize GOG's curated selection, they will naturally choose the platform. Additionally, recent reports indicate that games using generative AI, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Stellaris, have generated significant revenue. Kiciński focuses on building a community around quality content and user experience for GOG's future.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Hytale controller support explained

Hytale currently does not support controllers in its existing build, as confirmed by Simon Collins-Laflamme, the founder of Hypixel Studios. Controller support is a priority on their roadmap, aimed at enhancing accessibility for gameplay on devices like the Steam Deck. Kevin 'Slikey' Carstens, the technical director, advised players to wait for official controller support before making a purchase. The current version of Hytale is based on an older build, with future updates promising cross-platform play and controller support. Players can use a controller by following a setup process through Steam, which involves adding the Hytale Launcher as a non-Steam game and adjusting controller settings, although navigating menus and crafting may be challenging without a mouse.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Riot moves to stamp out League of Legends duo queue abuse as “a few bad actors ruin things for everyone”

Riot Games has introduced new duo queue restrictions in League of Legends, disallowing duo play up to Grandmaster rank, even for players with Grandmaster MMR. The company has increased the duo penalty to reflect the advantages of playing in pairs. The current season has seen an increase in exploitative behavior, prompting these changes. Riot plans to implement an indicator to show when a player's actual MMR exceeds their displayed rank. Additionally, there is a delay in improvements to the autofill matching system, which aims to reduce mismatched roles for players.

Winsage

January 16, 2026

Owner of big gaming platform can’t believe how bad Windows 11 is – and hints are dropped about big things for Linux gamers this year

Michał Kiciński, the new owner of GOG, expressed surprise at the longevity of Windows, criticizing it as poor-quality software. Maciej Gołębiewski, managing director of GOG, noted the company's strategic shift towards Linux, driven by increasing game compatibility and the success of SteamOS. This pivot is part of a broader industry trend as developers recognize the value of alternative operating systems. GOG plans to embrace Linux more fully by 2026. Meanwhile, Microsoft has focused on integrating AI into Windows 11, which has faced criticism for not addressing foundational issues, particularly in performance and functionality.

AppWizard

January 15, 2026

Marathon fully unveils all seven of its Runners, and I’ll take the one with the grappling hook and loot-stealing drone, please

The author initially lost interest in Marathon due to its challenges and competition from Arc Raiders, but recent updates, including enhanced visuals and the introduction of Runner Shells, have rekindled their enthusiasm. The Runner Shells are highly customizable, offering more flexibility than traditional hero selections in other games. Various Runner Shells, such as Destroyer, Assassin, Recon, Vandal, Triage, and Thief, have unique abilities inspired by Destiny, with Thief particularly appealing for its loot-gathering capabilities. The author expresses optimism about Marathon's potential and intends to engage with the game at launch.

AppWizard

January 15, 2026

What is ‘Hytale’? The new viral ‘Minecraft clone’ explained

“Hytale” is an open-world sandbox game that allows players to collect resources, craft, and build unique worlds. It was developed by Hypixel Studios, which previously worked on a popular “Minecraft” server. Development began in 2015 and faced setbacks, including a cancellation in mid-2025, but resumed in November after the rights were acquired by Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme. The game is currently in early access and is fully playable, though still under development. “Hytale” is available exclusively on PC for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can be accessed through the official website, not on Steam. The standard edition is priced at .99, with additional tiers available for .49 and .99. Early indications suggest significant popularity, with pre-purchase sales generating enough revenue for at least two years of development and over 400,000 viewers watching gameplay on Twitch on its release day.

Winsage

January 15, 2026

Windows info-disclosure 0-day bug gets a fix as CISA sounds alarm

Microsoft and the U.S. government have issued a warning about a vulnerability in Windows, designated CVE-2026-20805, which is currently being exploited. This flaw allows an authorized attacker to leak a memory address from a remote ALPC port, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. It has a medium severity rating of 5.5 on the CVSS scale. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and requires federal agencies to implement a patch by February 3. Additionally, two other vulnerabilities were acknowledged: CVE-2026-21265, a secure boot certificate expiration bypass with a CVSS rating of 6.4, and CVE-2023-31096, an elevation of privilege flaw affecting third-party Agere Modem drivers, rated at 7.8. Two more vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-20952 (CVSS 7.7) and CVE-2026-20953 (CVSS 7.4), are use-after-free flaws in Office that could allow unauthorized code execution.

AppWizard

January 14, 2026

One of the best Xbox Play Anywhere games just got its notorious save bug fixed for Xbox Ally and Xbox PC

The save file bug in Death Stranding on Xbox PC has been resolved through a collaboration between Microsoft, 505 Games, and Kojima Productions. Initially, players faced issues where save files would fail to copy after a short gameplay period, leading to lost progress and contributing to a low review score of 2/5 on the Xbox PC store. The fix is being rolled out as part of the Xbox Gaming Services background app, and players can check for the update by verifying the version number in the Xbox PC app. The updated version is 32.106.13001.0 or higher. After testing the update, players have reported consistent progress saving. Death Stranding Director's Cut is available for purchase on the Xbox Store for .99 and supports the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative.

Winsage

January 14, 2026

Microsoft Fixes 114 Windows Flaws in January 2026 Patch, One Actively Exploited

On Tuesday, Microsoft released its first security update for 2026, addressing 114 vulnerabilities, including eight classified as Critical and 106 as Important. The vulnerabilities include 58 related to privilege escalation, 22 concerning information disclosure, 21 linked to remote code execution, and five categorized as spoofing flaws. A notable vulnerability, CVE-2026-20805, involves information disclosure within the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) and has a CVSS score of 5.5. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added this flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, requiring federal agencies to implement fixes by February 3, 2026. Additionally, Microsoft announced the expiration of three Windows Secure Boot certificates issued in 2011, effective June 2026, urging customers to transition to newer certificates to avoid disruptions. The update also removed vulnerable Agere Soft Modem drivers due to a local privilege escalation flaw (CVE-2023-31096) and addressed another critical privilege escalation flaw in Windows Virtualization-Based Security (CVE-2026-20876) with a CVSS score of 6.7. Other vendors, including Adobe, Amazon Web Services, and Cisco, have also released security patches for various vulnerabilities.

AppWizard

January 13, 2026

‘Steam is winning with its ease of use,’ GOG’s new owner says, but he’s not interested in picking a fight: ‘I think much can be done in GOG without losing its core values and the way it operates’

CD Projekt sold its DRM-free digital storefront, GOG, to co-founder Michal Kiciński at the end of 2025. GOG has transitioned from focusing solely on classic titles to including newer releases, but it remains a niche player in the gaming market and has not generated substantial revenue for CD Projekt. Kiciński and GOG's managing director, Maciej Gołębiewski, expressed optimism about GOG's potential, emphasizing its unique position and mission to ensure games endure over time. GOG is expanding its catalog of new releases, particularly from independent studios, without aiming to compete directly with Steam in terms of volume. GOG is known for being a curated platform, contrasting with Steam's high volume of releases, and Kiciński acknowledged the need for GOG to improve its user-friendly features while maintaining its core values. GOG will continue to uphold its commitment to being a DRM-free platform, which Kiciński stated is a core value that will not change in the foreseeable future.