player base Archives

AppWizard

July 22, 2026

Splitgate studio 1047 Games is laying off more people just a month after releasing its latest game

1047 Games has experienced another round of layoffs, described as the "third wave" by employees on LinkedIn. QA director Igor Krinitskiy and concept artist Jonathan Kuo confirmed their departures due to these layoffs. The studio, known for its hit title Splitgate: Arena Warfare, has struggled with subsequent projects, including the rebranded Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and the recently launched Empulse, which has not achieved significant player engagement and has seen concurrent player numbers on Steam drop below 1,000. Studio CEO Ian Proulx emphasized a focus on gradual growth rather than immediate success.

AppWizard

July 22, 2026

Marathon’s experimental PvE mode is live, immediately tripling its daily player count

Bungie released Marathon's 1.1.5 update, introducing the Vault Breaker experimental PvE mode, allowing players to explore the Cryo Archive map for two weeks without competitive interference. Following this update, concurrent player counts on Steam exceeded 14,800, marking a threefold increase compared to the previous week and the highest activity since a decline after the June free weekend.

AppWizard

July 20, 2026

Modern Warfare 4 beta dates set for August, and this year Game Pass subscribers get no special treatment

Activision has announced the beta schedule for Modern Warfare 4, with two beta weekends planned. The first weekend, from August 21-25, is exclusive to pre-order customers on PC, PS5, and Xbox, while the second weekend, from August 28 to September 1, is an open public beta available on all platforms, including the Switch 2. Participants will have the opportunity to unlock 19 weapons and engage in various combat scenarios, including 3v3 skirmishes and larger battles with vehicles. Players can test new and returning game modes, such as Search & Destroy and Kill Block, as well as a Training Mobility Course. The full game is set to release in late October.

AppWizard

July 18, 2026

Valve reassures Team Fortress 2 players that it’s still working on the Mann vs Machine update it announced last year: ‘We promise we’re making progress’

Valve has provided an update on the long-awaited Mann vs. Machine mode for Team Fortress 2, acknowledging the delay since the initial call for community submissions in June of last year. The fictional deadline of August 27 has passed without further communication until now. Valve humorously stated, "We're still working on the MvM update." Despite infrequent major updates, Team Fortress 2 has seen increased player engagement following a significant update in 2023, and a recent update introduced new community maps, cosmetics, and taunts, along with smaller patches for bug fixes.

AppWizard

July 18, 2026

Question time: How long have you been playing MMOs?

A new bi-weekly column called Terminally Online from PC Gamer explores the world of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), featuring insights, interviews, and guest writers. The design of contemporary MMORPGs has shifted towards seasonal structures to cater to "midcore" players who have limited time for gameplay. Popular MMOs like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV have been around for over 20 years and a decade, respectively, while newer games like Amazon's New World have struggled with player retention. The column encourages readers to share their experiences and reminisce about the MMO community.

AppWizard

July 17, 2026

Explore a snapshot of a massive million-by-million block Minecraft server

The 1,024,000² 2b2t World Download Project is a significant Minecraft archiving achievement, preserving approximately 13.7 TiB of compressed world data from the 2b2t server, including a million-by-million-block section of the Overworld, and smaller captures of the Nether and End dimensions. It is the largest available Minecraft world download, released via torrent. The project took over a year to develop, involving a team that utilized 28 bot accounts to collect data, resulting in four distinct captures of varying sizes. The project was led by a developer named crayne, with key contributors including Fuch, mahan, and Steve3. The code and documentation are available on GitHub, and the project incurred over ,000 in server rental costs. 2b2t, established in December 2010, is one of the oldest Minecraft servers, known for its unyielding map and challenging environment, having hosted over 1,000,000 players. The creators assert that no AI was used in the project and have licensed their work under CC0 for community accessibility.

AppWizard

July 17, 2026

Bethesda confirms Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters, makes Obsidian collaboration official, and says Fallout 5 is in ‘pre-production’

Bethesda Softworks has announced a new Fallout game in collaboration with Obsidian Entertainment, with Fallout 5 identified as a long-term goal and multiple projects in active development. Remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are also planned, although release dates are not yet available. Additionally, a new expansion for Fallout 76, titled Raven Rock, is set to launch in 2027 as a prequel to Fallout 3. Bethesda is committed to ongoing updates for Starfield and hinted at future developments for The Elder Scrolls Online.

AppWizard

July 15, 2026

GTA 6 isn’t on PC at launch because it’s ‘always better to start with the constraints’, suggests former Rockstar producer

Rockstar Games is launching Grand Theft Auto 6 without a simultaneous PC port, which has disappointed some PC players. Former Rockstar producer John Ricchio explained that the decision is based on resource allocation and the need for a compelling business case for PC ports. He noted that past hardware limitations favored console development, but the performance gap between consoles and PCs has narrowed recently. Despite the delayed PC version, 39% of players are willing to wait for it. The game, titled Phantom Vice Auto, is set to launch on November 19.

AppWizard

July 13, 2026

Marvel Rivals has upset players yet again with some peculiar balances that buff some of the strongest heroes

The release of season 9 for Marvel Rivals has led to significant player dissatisfaction due to a patch that many consider unnecessary. The update aimed to enhance several heroes, including Cyclops, Gambit, Black Widow, Invisible Woman, Jubilee, Rocket Raccoon, and Ultron, but has drawn criticism for potentially prioritizing excitement over balance. Players have expressed frustration on social media, particularly regarding the buffing of characters like Gambit, who has been a permanent ban in ranked play for four seasons. The patch also adjusted the healing capabilities of Strategists, reducing energy conversion efficiency to 70%, while Vanguards and Duelists saw a 15% decrease. The community is calling for a return to gameplay that emphasizes skill rather than chaotic power dynamics.

AppWizard

July 13, 2026

Palworld pulled in almost 900,000 players over the weekend, its second-highest peak ever

Palworld has transitioned from early access to its 1.0 launch without a price increase, resulting in a peak of 855,525 concurrent players on Steam. The game's all-time peak player count is 2.1 million, surpassing titles like Counter Strike 2 and Dota 2, with only Black Myth: Wukong and PUBG having higher records. Players have requested additional content and improvements, while some have raised concerns about game stability and mechanics. The developers aim to maintain a solid player base following the successful launch.