game studios Archives

AppWizard

May 14, 2025

It took 15 YEARS for Minecraft to let us craft this item, but it’s finally coming (plus new music and more)

Minecraft is introducing the ability to craft saddles, a feature currently being tested by select insiders and expected to be unveiled at Minecraft Live in March 2025. Players have traditionally acquired saddles through scavenging, trading, or defeating enemies. The upcoming update will also include five new music tracks for various biomes and a collectible music disc titled "Tears," obtainable by defeating a Ghast with its own fireball. Additionally, two new friendly Ghast mob variants will be introduced, allowing players to ride them. Early builds for testing are available, while the official game drop will bring these new features to the broader community.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

Get Ori, Wasteland 3, and six more amazing PC games in the latest Humble Xbox Games Studio Bundle

The Xbox Games Studio Bundle offers a selection of Steam codes for eight notable titles from Xbox Game Studios, organized into two pricing tiers. The first tier, priced at £3.90 / 4.67€, includes three games: Sunset Overdrive, Battletoads, and Broken Age. The second tier, priced at £7.80 / 9.35€, includes As Dusk Falls, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Wasteland 3. The bundle supports the Gameheads initiative, with 20% of each purchase going to the cause. The bundle is available until May 24, 2025.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

Xbox Game Studios bundle launches at Humble, and includes eight PC games for £7.80

Humble has launched an Xbox-themed bundle featuring eight Xbox-published PC games available on Steam, priced at £7.80. The bundle has two tiers: a £3.90 option that includes three games (Broken Age, Sunset Overdrive, and Battletoads) and a £7.80 option that includes all eight games (Wasteland 3, Quantum Break, As Dusk Falls, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Broken Age, Sunset Overdrive, and Battletoads). Proceeds from the bundle support charitable causes, raising over £43,000 for Gameheads, a charity focused on training low-income youth in game development. Notable titles include Sunset Overdrive, praised for its unique style, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, recognized for its emotional depth, and As Dusk Falls, which offers a fresh approach to interactive storytelling.

AppWizard

May 11, 2025

Xbox is giving away $214 worth of its PC games for just $10, including a Metroidvania banger and the best game from Marvel’s Spider-Man devs

A new Humble Bundle offers a collection of Xbox Game Studios titles valued at approximately £161 for £8. The bundle includes games such as Wasteland 3, As Dusk Falls, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Broken Age, Battletoads, and Quantum Break. It will be available for 12 days, and each purchase supports Gameheads, an organization that promotes diversity in the tech industry through video game design and development training for youth of color.

AppWizard

May 1, 2025

PC gaming can’t stop getting Ws, as Microsoft shares it’s being weighed down by console and hardware revenue woes

Gaming revenue increased by 5% (6% when adjusted for currency), while Xbox content and services revenue grew by 8%. However, Xbox hardware revenue declined by 6% (5% CC) and experienced a 30% drop between early 2024 and early 2023. Microsoft has acquired game studios, including Blizzard and Bethesda, but faces challenges such as layoffs and a lack of compelling console exclusives. Current standout titles on Xbox Game Pass do not require an Xbox purchase, reflecting a trend where console exclusivity is becoming less relevant, except for Nintendo.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

The Best PC Games of 2025 So Far (Spring Edition)

Spring 2025 has seen the release of several notable PC games, including: - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Released on April 24, 2025, by Sandfall Interactive, it sold over 1 million copies in three days and features a blend of French art nouveau aesthetics and JRPG combat mechanics. - Monster Hunter Wilds: Released on February 28, 2025, by Capcom, it introduces full narrative integration and dynamic monster interactions. - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered: Released on April 22, 2025, by Bethesda Game Studios, it attracted over 4 million players shortly after launch and features enhanced visuals and gameplay updates. Other early 2025 releases include: - Blue Prince (April 10, 2025) - Split Fiction (March 6, 2025) - Atomfall (March 27, 2025) - Assassin’s Creed Shadows (March 20, 2025) - Two Point Museum (March 5, 2025) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (January 23, 2025) - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (January 22, 2025) - Ninja Gaiden II Black (January 23, 2025) - The Talos Principle: Reawakened (April 10, 2025) Highly anticipated titles for later in 2025 include: - Grand Theft Auto VI (Late 2025) - Doom: The Dark Ages (May 15, 2025) - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (August 28, 2025) - The Outer Worlds 2 (Expected 2025) - Borderlands 4 (September 12, 2025) - Marvel’s Blade (TBA 2025) - Hades II (Full Release later 2025) - Frostpunk 2 (Summer 2025) - Slay the Spire 2 (Early Access Expected 2025) - Anno 117: Pax Romana (Expected 2025) - Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (October 2025) - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Expected 2025) - Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Expected 2025) In 2024, top-rated PC games included: 1. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 2. Metaphor: ReFantazio 3. UFO 50 4. Tekken 8 5. Caves of Qud 6. Animal Well 7. Satisfactory 8. Balatro 9. Thank Goodness You’re Here! 10. The Last of Us Part II Remastered The PC gaming landscape in 2024 was characterized by significant hardware advancements, improved game integration and compatibility, and thriving online communities.

AppWizard

April 27, 2025

This week’s hot PC gaming Steam Deals Apr. 20-26

A new wave of sales on Steam includes significant discounts on various games. The Xbox Game Studios Publisher Sale features discounts up to 90% on titles available until May 8, 2025. Highlights include: - The Hellblade Bundle - 34% off - State of Decay: Complete Collection - 75% off - Halo Infinite - Campaign - 67% off - Halo Master Chief Collection - 75% off - Avowed - 20% off - Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition - 50% off - Sea of Thieves - 50% off - Age of Mythology: Retold - 20% off - Grounded - 50% off - Ara: History Untold - 35% off - Age of Empires IV - 60% off - Sunset Overdrive - 80% off - Forza Horizon 5 - 50% off Indie games on sale include: - The Long Dark - 90% off - Little Nightmares II - 67% off - Overcooked! 2 - 75% off - Golf With Your Friends - 68% off - Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights - 60% off - Patrick's Parabox - 40% off - Trepang2 - 50% off - This War of Mine - 85% off - World of Goo - 66% off - Harold Halibut - 40% off Culturally significant games on sale include: - Returnal - 50% off - Resident Evil 7 - 60% off - Alien: Isolation - 80% off - Lies of P - 40% off - Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Zero - 25% off - Monster Hunter World - 67% off - Grand Theft Auto IV - 65% off - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 10% off - Persona 5 Royal - 60% off - Resident Evil 4 - 50% off

AppWizard

April 26, 2025

Oblivion Remastered PC: impressive modernisation blighted by dire performance problems

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered utilizes an Unreal Engine 5 wrapper to enhance the original game, but it carries over some of the original's issues and suffers from significant performance challenges, including frequent stuttering. Digital Foundry analyzed the remaster against the original 2006 version, highlighting advancements in graphics but also noting that the remaster struggles with limited polygon budgets and basic effects. The remaster's performance is inconsistent, especially on mid-range CPUs, leading to poor experiences even on high-end hardware. Disabling hardware RT-based Lumen global illumination can improve performance by about 35%, but at the cost of visual quality. Lowering settings yields only marginal performance improvements, and the game fails to deliver an attractive experience compared to the original. A recent patch did not resolve the stuttering issues, indicating that fundamental CPU-related problems remain unaddressed.

AppWizard

April 26, 2025

Weekend PC Download Deals for Apr. 25: Steam Golden Week sales begin

The gaming community is experiencing excitement during Golden Week with sales and discounts across various platforms. Steam has launched its Golden Week sales, featuring discounts on titles from Capcom and Sega, including a debut discount on Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Valve's storefront is highlighting box-pushing games such as Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure and Lab Rat. Although Xbox is not officially part of Golden Week, Xbox Game Studios is offering a sale with a first-time price reduction on Avowed. Blizzard is hosting its annual Spring Sale with discounts on Avowed, the Diablo 4 Expansion Bundle, and World of Warcraft: The War Within, which includes a 30-day subscription. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is also gaining attention with launch week discounts from various retailers. Humble Bundle is offering a subscription service for .99 per month, providing access to several games including Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered and Dredge, along with additional savings for members. Various tiers of deals are available for games like Doom 64, Doom 3, and Wolfenstein titles.

AppWizard

April 25, 2025

Oblivion Remastered loses the most helpful settings on PC thanks to a botched Game Pass update

A recent update for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has caused dissatisfaction among PC Game Pass users, as it removed several key settings, including DLSS support, which enhances gaming performance on older hardware. Although a patch was released to address some issues, players remain frustrated with the lack of advanced graphical features. Additionally, there are limitations with cross-save functionality; while the Xbox Series X|S version supports Xbox Play Anywhere for save transfers, Steam users do not have this option, leading to further frustration in the gaming community.