director Archives

AppWizard

July 18, 2025

Quantum Threshold Brings High-Intensity Seated Combat to PC VR Today

Quantum Threshold is a new VR game available on Steam that features a dystopian cyberpunk world populated by rogue AI agents called Techno Wraiths. Players assume the role of a wheelchair user, challenging traditional norms in first-person shooters. The game includes unique mechanics that utilize the wheelchair for movement and combat, offering randomized loot, evolving enemies, and a progression system that resets upon death while allowing for permanent upgrades. The Steam version enhances graphics and performance compared to the Quest version. Key features include wheelchair combat, roguelike progression with randomized elements, and power-ups inspired by other popular games. The game is available at a 10% discount for its first week on Steam.

AppWizard

July 17, 2025

Steam’s slop problem has gotten much worse as reports say the number of games using GenAI has gone up almost 800% in the last year alone

The number of games on Steam disclosing the use of Generative AI has surged by nearly 800% over the past year, with just under 8,000 titles currently utilizing this technology, representing approximately 7% of the total Steam library. A year ago, around 1,000 games were reported to disclose the use of Generative AI. The influx of low-effort, AI-generated content has raised concerns among developers and players, particularly regarding quality dilution in gaming storefronts like the Nintendo eShop. Some developers have faced imitation of their popular titles, leading to frustration over misleading consumers. While some developers have stopped using AI due to backlash, others have adopted defensive language about their practices. The reported figures reflect only those developers who voluntarily disclose their use of Generative AI, suggesting the actual prevalence may be higher. Generative AI is being used in various ways, including for content moderation in games like Comedy Night, which filters offensive user-uploaded content. An artist known for contributions to Persona and Shin Megami Tensei attempted to train an AI model to replicate their style but found the results unsatisfactory, illustrating the challenges of AI in creative fields.

AppWizard

July 17, 2025

Lawsuit insists Krafton pushed for Subnautica 2 delay

The former leadership team of Unknown Worlds has filed a lawsuit against Krafton, claiming that Krafton pressured them to delay the release of Subnautica 2 beyond its expected 2025 launch. The lawsuit alleges that Krafton intentionally delayed the game by withdrawing marketing materials and retracting commitments necessary for pre-launch preparations, aiming to avoid a 0 million payment owed to the founders and employees of Unknown Worlds. Following the acquisition, Krafton reportedly decided to push the game's launch to 2026 to retain revenue while avoiding the payment. Krafton responded by stating that its decisions were made to ensure the game's quality and to meet fan expectations, expressing disappointment over the lawsuit and affirming its commitment to defend its position in court.

Tech Optimizer

July 17, 2025

TigerData Launches Tiger Lake, Unifying Postgres and the Lakehouse for Real-Time Intelligence

TigerData has introduced Tiger Lake, an architectural layer that integrates the operational speed of Postgres with the analytical capabilities of lakehouses. This innovation allows for continuous, bidirectional data movement between operational databases and scalable cloud storage systems, eliminating the need for data duplication and complex pipelines. Tiger Lake enables real-time replication of Postgres tables into the lakehouse and synchronization of processed results back into Postgres. It is built into Tiger Postgres and enhanced by TimescaleDB, making it suitable for high-ingest, time-series data management. Tiger Lake is based on open standards, such as Apache Iceberg, allowing flexibility without vendor lock-in. It is currently in public beta, enabling users to stream data between Postgres and Iceberg-backed S3 storage, with future updates planned for enhanced querying and synchronization capabilities.

AppWizard

July 17, 2025

6 best open-world PC games to play after Death Stranding 2

Death Stranding 2 is a PlayStation 5 exclusive that offers over fifty hours of profound storytelling and gameplay. The release has increased interest in the original Death Stranding on Steam, indicating a desire among PC gamers to experience its narrative. The Director's Cut of the original game features enhancements that improve the overall experience and is recommended for those who may have previously dismissed it. Alternatives for PC gamers while waiting for Death Stranding 2 include Mad Max, which offers fast-paced action in a desolate wasteland, and SnowRunner, which focuses on traversal and cargo delivery in challenging terrains.

AppWizard

July 17, 2025

Ubisoft appoints company vet Derennes and Charlie Guillemot co-CEOs of new subsidiary

Ubisoft has appointed Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot as co-CEOs of its new subsidiary, supported by Tencent, to enhance its presence in the gaming industry. Derennes has been with Ubisoft since 1997, serving as managing director for North American operations, while Guillemot has experience leading Ubisoft's Owlient studio and founded a web3 gaming studio called Unagi. The subsidiary will focus on developing and expanding Ubisoft's core franchises, including Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry, with Tencent investing .5 billion. Derennes stated the goal is to grow these iconic brands while staying true to their essence and transforming them into expansive experiences.

Winsage

July 17, 2025

Semperis Research Uncovers Critical Flaw in Windows Server 2025 Exposing Managed Service Accounts to Golden DMSA Attack

Semperis has identified a vulnerability in Windows Server 2025, termed Golden dMSA, which allows for high-impact attacks that enable cross-domain lateral movement and persistent access to managed service accounts in Active Directory. The vulnerability exploits a cryptographic flaw in the ManagedPasswordId structure, which has predictable components and limited combinations, making brute-force attacks feasible. Semperis researcher Adi Malyanker developed a tool named GoldenDMSA to help cybersecurity professionals understand and simulate this attack. Additionally, Semperis has uncovered other vulnerabilities, such as nOauth in Microsoft's Entra ID and BadSuccessor, a privilege escalation technique in Windows Server 2025. The company focuses on protecting enterprise identity services and offers various resources for the cybersecurity community.

AppWizard

July 16, 2025

Steve’s Lava Chicken Song Added to Minecraft, but You’ll Need to Hunt a Chicken Jockey to Find It

A new update for Minecraft, version 1.21.93, introduces a remixed music disc featuring the Lava Chicken song from A Minecraft Movie, originally performed by Jack Black and reimagined by Hyper Potions. Players can obtain this remix by defeating a Chicken Jockey, a baby Zombie riding a Chicken. The remix has been noted for its catchy dubstep beats, even more addictive than the original. The song gained popularity after the film grossed nearly 5 million and became the shortest track to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song's lyrics include playful phrases like "la-la-la-lava ch-ch-ch-chicken," and it was created by Black in collaboration with director Jared Hess.

Tech Optimizer

July 16, 2025

ParadeDB takes on Elasticsearch as interest in Postgres explodes amid AI boom

Open source database management system Postgres is nearing its 40th anniversary and has seen increased demand due to its compatibility with AI applications, although its search and analytics capabilities are limited. ParadeDB is an open source extension that enhances full-text search and analytics within Postgres, integrating with various data infrastructure tools like Google Cloud SQL, Azure Postgres, and Amazon RDS. Founded in 2023, ParadeDB released its first version the same year and gained Alibaba as its first customer in May 2024. The company recently secured a million Series A funding round led by Craft Ventures to expand its team and improve its platform. The growing popularity of Postgres is highlighted by recent acquisitions, such as Snowflake's acquisition of Crunchy Data and Databricks' purchase of Neon.

AppWizard

July 15, 2025

UK industry vet Tom Stone founds new studio

Tom Stone has established a new gaming studio called Second Star Games in Manchester. The studio is preparing to work on its first project, which is based on a well-loved and globally-renowned intellectual property. Second Star Games has a core team of industry veterans and is looking to hire for several key positions. Tom Stone previously served as Managing Director of TT Games for nearly 18 years and was chairman at FuturLab before his current venture. He aims for the studio to become a leading developer and publisher of gaming experiences for young gamers and their families.