Facebook Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 519

Concord Fails To Break Into PlayStation’s Top 30 Pre-Orders Ahead of Release

Story Highlight
  • Concord is only a few days away from its release, but there’s no hype for this hero shooter.
  • The game is currently at the 31st spot on the list of the most pre-ordered PS5 titles.
  • The situation is even worse on Steam, where the game is nowhere to be found in the top 700 wishlisted titles.

Although PlayStation has had better exclusives this year than it may initially appear, the gaming giant’s next exclusive seems to be a disaster in the making. Concord is set to launch on 23 August, but it seems most PS5 users are willing to skip this release.

This is also reflected in the current pre-orders on PlayStation, with Concord below the top 30 most purchased games.

Why it matters: This year has already had its fair share of disappointing releases. All signs point to Concord becoming yet another addition to this list.

Astro Bot game
Astro Bot Is Doing Better Than Concord

Concord is an ambitious project from PlayStation, but the game has faced criticism from the beginning. Starting from the open beta, it only gathered a few thousand Steam players. This led to concern, but Firewalk was still hopeful it could deliver.

As shared on Twitter, the game hasn’t been able to leave its mark on PlayStation’s best sellers charts. At the time of writing, Concord is the 31st most pre-ordered game, which is highly disappointing for a first-party release.

Even more niche games like Astro Bot seem to be doing better, while more well-known titles like Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Black Ops 6 are miles ahead. Looking at Steam, the result isn’t much different.

Previously spotted below the top 700 most wishlisted games, Concord hasn’t been able to climb the list. It is still the 706th most wishlisted title on the platform.

Concord
Concord Is One of PlayStation’s First Live-Service Releases

As mentioned earlier, there has been no shortage of criticism around Concord. Whether it be the character designs or the gameplay itself, audiences have highlighted various negatives since the initial reveal.

Latest Updates

Firewalk has also confirmed at least three seasons for the hero shooter, so the studio has no option but to commit to post-launch content. The team will now look toward turning the tables during these seasons.

Black Myth: Wukong Now 2nd Biggest Steam Game With 2.1 Million Players

Story Highlight
  • Black Myth: Wukong just hit over 2.1 million concurrent players.
  • It has now beaten Palworld to become 2024’s biggest Steam release.
  • This achievement also makes it the platform’s second-biggest release to date, putting it just behind PUBG.

Black Myth: Wukong already made new records before release. Following multiple years of anticipation, it was no surprise that this action RPG racked up more than a million concurrent players within two hours.

However, it seems like this was just the beginning. Several hours later, the title stands at more than 2.1 million concurrent players on Steam.

Why it matters: Black Myth: Wukong was always expected to be a huge release. However, nobody expected it to become the biggest launch of 2024 after Palworld put seemingly unbeatable figures on the board.

Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong Player Count via SteamDB

This new record makes Black Myth: Wukong Steam’s second-biggest title to date. For context, Palworld previously held this record. Since Palworld has now been beaten, Black Myth: Wukong is also 2024’s biggest launch.

PUBG continues to retain the number one spot with over 3.2 million concurrent players. However, it does not sound too far-fetched for this action RPG to beat the battle royale at this pace. It is important to note that player counts will probably increase during the weekend.

Black Myth: Wukong also saw a new burst since players in various additional regions have just jumped in. While the game has been available for nearly 12 hours now, this was not the case worldwide.

The reviews on Steam have also been unanimously positive. In fact, the game has accumulated nearly 100K reviews at the time of writing, with more than 90% of them being positive.

Latest Updates

Despite initial worries, it seems Black Myth: Wukong runs fairly well on PC. Fans seem to have found little to complain about in terms of the console release too, with developer Game Science making nearly everyone happy.

We expect to hear more about the official sales very soon. Going by these numbers, the action RPG has probably sold at least 3-4 million copies on day one.

GameMax Releases F36 And F46 Cases For Clean PC Builds

[Press Release] GameMax has just released two brand new PC cases. The F36 and F46 cases sport a clean aesthetic built around hidden connector motherboards.

This new style of motherboard comes with connectors located at the back, offering superior cable management compared to typical setups. To make full use of this setup, the F36 and F46 include spacious rear interiors.

GameMax F36 and F46
The Cases Can Be Bought In ATX or mATX Form Factors

GameMax also offers a solid cooling setup with the F36 and F46. Both cases come with three pre-installed fans, but liquid cooling is also supported. Moreover, a mesh front panel provides unrestricted airflow.

To keep critical components cool, a short air duct design directs cool air from the front fans directly to them. Elsewhere, users can choose to install AIOs with up to 360mm radiators for even more effective cooling.

The IO is another strong suit of the new cases. Between the USB 3.0 and USB-C ports, the IO selection is already extensive, but the front I/O hub can also be relocated to the top.

With these features as the main selling point, GameMax has now launched the F36 and F46 cases. They can be bought in black and white colors, in addition to a minimalist variant that includes a matte black finish and a solid side panel. The cases start from $55.99 and can be purchased from Amazon through this link.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Next Gen Version Spotted In Leaked Trailer

Story Highlight
  • The next-gen version of Red Dead Redemption 2 has been in high demand.
  • A new trailer has recently surfaced, proving an alleged March 2025 date for the game on PS5 and Xbox Series S|X.
  • This version seems to be based on the PC port, promising 60FPS gameplay for consoles.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the history of the industry. It is praised for its fluid gameplay, mechanics, stunning visuals, and gripping storyline.

Originally released in 2018 for the PS4 and Xbox One, the demand for a next-gen version of the game has been high ever since the new consoles launched. Fortunately, it seems Rockstar will finally fulfill these demands next year.

Why it matters: Red Dead Redemption 2 has been out for over six years. While the game remains visually impressive on next-gen consoles, many players are still clamoring for a next-gen version to fully utilize the enhanced power and features of the next gen consoles.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Assault on Braithwaite
Red Dead Redemption 2 Still Looks Stunning

A leaked trailer has recently surfaced and was shared by Twitter user CofeeSneeze. The user points to a leaked Red Dead Redemption 2 video that reveals a March 2025 launch for PS5 and Xbox Series S|X versions of the game.

The video was originally shared on Reddit, and the original poster claims to be a Rockstar employee. It was also mentioned that the next-gen version would be very similar to the PC port.

This would mean that fans can at least expect 60FPS gameplay since the current cap of 30FPS is the biggest disappointment for fans. The footage also shows a focus on Arthur Morgan over other technical features.

Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 Is The 7th Best Selling Game To Date

Still, it is worth taking this information with a grain of salt since other sources have yet to verify the leak. Recently, a Bully remaster/remake has also been rumored, so a new version of Red Dead Redemption 2 may be part of a broader push for additional re-releases from Rockstar.

Latest Updates

Not having a significant graphical improvement in a next-gen version is a bit disappointing. However, considering how visually stunning Red Dead Redemption 2 remains even today, it’s not surprising that Rockstar might skip a major graphical overhaul for this upgrade.

Elsewhere, a PC version of Red Dead Redemption has been practically confirmed. Therefore, Rockstar seems to have a lot planned for this IP, even if no new entry is in the works.

Final Fantasy 16 Demo Benchmarks Point To Poorly Optimized PC Port

Story Highlight
  • The Final Fantasy 16 demo for PC has been released, and it seems to be pushing PC configurations to their limits.
  • The GeForce RTX 3060 can’t even maintain consistent 40FPS at 1080 High settings. 
  • Even a monster card like 4090 is facing stuttering and screen tearing in the demo.

Final Fantasy 16 fell short of expectations in terms of sales, but other than that, the game received a positive reception. However, it did receive a lot of criticism over performance.

The Eikon fights also pushed the PS5 console to its limits, with performance mode leading to extremely poor visual quality. Final Fantasy 16 is now heading to PC on September 17, but it seems to carry over many of the same problems.

Why it matters: The producer of Final Fantasy 16 did say last year that the game would require a $2000 PC build. It seems this is still the case after various optimizations.

Square Enix has launched an official demo on PC to give fans a taste of the JRPG.

MxBenchmarkPC on YouTube has released a benchmark video showing the RTX 3060 at 1080P, 1440P, and 4K. The game seems to be running poorly on this card, even at 1080p, so the average PC gamer might not have the best time here.

At 1080p high settings, the frame rate frequently drops to 30FPS. Steam’s official survey revealed that most gamers still use the iconic RTX 3060, so these results are concerning.

Even dropping the settings to medium at 1080p with DLSS Quality does not net a stable 60FPS during intense moments. Certain areas might run better, but the best combat and boss battle sections will run into performance hitches.

Final Fantasy 16
The Final Fantasy 16 PC Port Demo Is A Lot Worse Than Expected

Elsewhere, it has been said that the 3060 Ti drops as low as 15FPS during the Eikon fights. During one particular scene with Ifrit, the performance continues to drop below 20FPS, ruining the intensity of the battle.

Even on an RTX 4090, there is stuttering and a lot of screen tearing, especially when you turn off V-Sync. The demo showed similar problems on the PS5.

Latest Updates

There is still hope that these problems will be ironed out with a day one patch. One benefit to playing Final Fantasy 16 on PC over PS5 is the image quality.

The console version suffered from poor resolution in both modes, so the upcoming port is a huge improvement in this regard. Hopefully, Square Enix can iron out the performance issues too.

Final Fantasy Director Says Future Games Likely To Skip Exclusivity

Story Highlights
  • The director of Final Fantasy 16 reveals that Square Enix’s future releases might come to PC from the beginning.
  • He also wanted the Final Fantasy 16 PC port to be released earlier.
  • This is Square Enix’s attempt at a more aggressive multiplatform approach for increased revenue in the future.

Amid the announcement of Final Fantasy 16 on PC, the game director has revealed an interesting future path. He stated that future Final Fantasy entries might even launch on PC from the beginning, which would be quite a different route from the publisher’s usual release pattern. 

Why it matters: Square Enix recorded its lowest revenue in 13 years recently, leading to concerns about the state of its business model. Therefore, it confirmed a more aggressive multiplatform strategy for future releases.

Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Were Both Exclusive To PS5

Talking to Game Radar, Hiroshi Takai discussed the motive for releasing Final Fantasy 16 on PC. When asked if this is something we would see again in the future, he shared good news for PC fans.

I think it’s possible – probably even likely (About day 1 Final Fantasy releases).

– Hiroshi Takai

However, he stated that this was his personal opinion and that the final decision rested in the hands of the team making the policies. Furthermore, he also confirmed that the team wanted to release the recently announced PC port much earlier.

Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is Yet To Arrive On PC

He said that the studio wasn’t getting anything out of delaying the release. Some things could have been done differently to speed up the process of porting the game, but most of the time was still spent on optimization.

Square Enix has struggled this year economically. Even its critically acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth didn’t sell as well as expected. So, a push to go multiplatform has been in the cards for the longest time.

Latest Updates

It seems that Square Enix is finally set to leave the Final Fantasy PlayStation exclusivity. The publisher is even rumored to launch Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox, and the director has recently stated that he would like to see this becoming a reality.

Stellar Blade Dev Believes PC Release Will Be More Successful Than PS5

Story Highlight
  • Shift Up has asked investors to look forward to Stellar Blade’s PC port.
  • The studio expects better results on PC than on PS5.
  • A successful launch could encourage the studio to launch Stellar Blade’s sequel on PC from the beginning.

Going into 2024, Stellar Blade was one of the most anticipated titles of the year. The release didn’t disappoint either, with Shift Up confirming that it had sold 1 million units within a few months.

This was a huge milestone for the studio’s first AAA release that launched as a PS5 exclusive. However, the team always had plans to bring Stellar Blade to PC after PS5, and it has just confirmed work on the PC port.

Why it matters: Shift Up’s urgency in working on the PC port highlights the importance of this platform for AAA releases. PC gaming is even more important for studios like Shift Up, which are new to AAA gaming.

As reported by Genki, Shift Up has confirmed to investors that work on the PC port is moving forward swiftly. The team has even asked investors to expect a release in the near future.

This is important since Shift Up has explicitly confirmed the PC port. In the past, the team has dodged around the question, providing hints without saying anything outright. This is not the case anymore.

However, the studio’s second statement is more interesting. According to the report, Shift Up believes Stellar Blade will be more successful on PC than on PS5. This might imply that the team has always known the potential of PC gaming.

Perhaps the team wanted a PC release from day one, but the publishing rights being handed over to PlayStation became a hurdle.

Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade Led To Record Revenue For Shift Up

Other PS5 exclusives like God of War Ragnarok and Final Fantasy 16 are also set to arrive on PC next month.

Latest Updates

If Stellar Blade succeeds on PC, Shift Up might even be inclined to launch the sequel on day one. Steam alone has a much bigger audience than the PS5, so it only seems natural for developers to take PC gaming very seriously.

Black Myth: Wukong Reached An Insane 1.3 Million Concurrent Players Day One

Story Highlight
  • Black Myth: Wukong is the first AAA production Game Science has ever worked on.
  • Despite that, the game managed to reach more than 1.3 million concurrent players.
  • This figure puts it ahead of huge titles like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077.

A massive fandom has been waiting for the release of Black Myth: Wukong for over four years now. The game’s review scores were lower than expected, with some media outlets issuing low scores for bizarre reasons.

Still, fans were excited to see what adventures awaited them in this mystical ride through Game Science’s take on Journey to The West. Chinese fans were also more excited than most and argued that lower review scores were unfair.

With so much excitement behind it, Black Myth: Wukong has launched to 1.3 million concurrent players.

Why it matters: This type of launch is unheard of for a new studio. Game Science will likely be able to produce significantly more polished and ambitious experiences in the future thanks to these results.

Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong Player Count via SteamDB

The game hit an all-time high player count of 1.3 million concurrent players mere hours after release. This is absolutely insane.

For context, both Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 failed to reach these player counts. Both titles also came from famous studios that had already made a name for themselves in the industry.

The former racked up just under 1 million concurrent players, while the latter achieved 1.05 million concurrent players. What’s also interesting is that Black Myth: Wukong’s player counts are constantly going up.

Palworld is still the biggest Steam game of 2024, but it may not be for too long. It’s evident that the Chinese audience is fond of this release, and its interest is propelling the action RPG to new heights.

Black Myth: Wukong
Game Science Has Exceeded All Expectations

Perhaps the player count will be even higher once the weekend rolls around. It is also important to note that Black Myth: Wukong broke Steam’s bandwidth usage record ahead of release. It seems this was a sign of things to come.

Latest Updates

All in all, the action RPG seems to have won fans over. We have also embarked on our own playthroughs of Black Myth: Wukong, and it’s great to see what Game Science has achieved here.

At this rate, a sequel or DLC is more or less a given. Therefore, we look forward to seeing everything that the team will do with this series moving forward. 

Intel Core Ultra 200 Series Set For Debut On October 10

Story Highlight
  • Intel has announced the whole Core Ultra lineup.
  • The first of these chips will debut on 10 October.
  • Intel has made various changes to the new series, including the removal of hyper-threading and more.

Previously, it was revealed that the frequencies of the Intel Core Ultra CPUs had been increased. Now, Intel has officially announced the launch of the entire family of CPUs, which consists of 14 SKUs.

Why it matters: The launch of the Arrow Lake CPUs is essential for Intel to leave behind stability issues that users suffered with the 13th and 14th generation chips. Intel must also compete head-to-head with the Ryzen 9000 series.

To ensure this can happen, team Blue has relied on new P-Core and E-Cores. Intel made these SoCs possible by a new manufacturing method that involves TSMC. Another advancement that has been made is the removal of hyper-threading technology, which means there will only be one thread per core.

Intel found that this approach increased latency in its hybrid CPUs, meaning performance was lost. Deeper upgrades will be made to increase productivity or incorporate integrated Intel Arc graphics. This is the biggest improvement made till now.

 

Above, we can look at a list of the Intel Core Ultra 200 processors. The K and KF versions will be launched on 10 October. The release dates of the other processors are yet to be known.

Latest Updates

The least powerful of these CPUs on the list is the Intel Core Ultra 5 with 10 cores. Many rumors in the market suggest that Intel may release the Core Ultra 3 with 8 cores. However, this has yet to be confirmed.

Ninja Theory Considers Hellblade 2 Successful Launch In Financial Report

Story Highlight
  • Hellblade 2 launched to disappointing player counts and statistics in May.
  • However, a financial report suggests that Ninja Theory was pleased with the results.
  • It also seems to confirm that the studio is now focusing on future projects.

Hellblade 2 was among Xbox’s biggest first-party releases this year, but data showed that the game failed to meet expectations and didn’t sell as many copies as expected.

Over on Steam, the title launched to just around 4K players, which was disappointing for such a high-profile release. However, it seems Ninja Theory has been happy with the results.

Why it matters: Hellblade 2 suffered from disappointing marketing, criticism over the gameplay, and more. This is why the latest report is quite surprising.

Hellblade 2 Visual Excellence
Hellblade 2 Was An Unreal Engine 5 Showcase

Ninja Theory’s financial statements for last year are out, and they suggest that Hellblade 2 had a successful launch. While it may seem odd to see Hellblade 2 mentioned in a report about 2023, the team seems to have included comments about its latest release in the same report.

This is the first time since launch that the studio has commented on its latest title.

Following the succesful release of Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory will now concentrate their efforts on various future projects.

-Ninja Theory

The studio has yet to provide any exact numbers, and Xbox hasn’t said much either. However, considering how long ago the game was released, we doubt that Xbox will release sales figures soon.

Photorealism in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
Ninja Theory Has Put Unreal Engine 5 To Good Use

It was recently reported that Hellblade 2 had already dropped to 50 players just two months after its launch. Therefore, it’s a bit surprising to see the game being considered a success for the team.

However, fans are still happy for Ninja Theory and hope to see it using all the feedback from the latest release for a better game in the future.

Latest Updates

The team has shown that it has immense talent, and with Xbox’s resources on its hands, the studio can easily offer a vastly improved entry for the IP in the future. This is exciting since insiders have previously hinted at the fact that Xbox has greenlit the third entry already.

Silent Hill 2 Remake To Include 60FPS Performance Mode On PS5

Story Highlight
  • After much anticipation, Silent Hill 2 is finally releasing this October.
  • The game uses Unreal Engine 5 for its impressive visuals, but it won’t be skipping 60FPS on PS5.
  • According to reports, the 60FPS mode is not perfect, but it may be improved by launch.

Silent Hill is an iconic horror franchise that has been neglected for many years. Fortunately, Bloober Team and Konami are finally reviving the series in what appears to be a solid recreation of the survival horror title.

Silent Hill 2 Remake arrives this October, and it looks better than ever in the latest story trailer. Following recent previews, a 60FPS mode for this remake has also been confirmed.

Why it matters: Silent Hill 2 Remake is based on Unreal Engine 5. This engine can push consoles to their limits, and we have previously seen games running on the technology limited to 30FPS on consoles.

Silent Hill 2 Remake
Konami Wants To Revive Its Classic IPs With Remakes

Bloober Team is trying to modernize the classic Silent Hill 2 experience with the remake, offering a faithful recreating of the atmosphere and environments.

The game’s visuals seem to be its biggest strength, with the fog receiving more attention than other elements. Fortunately, Bloober Team seems to have offered two graphical modes on consoles.

As reported by Eurogamer, the game uses dynamic resolution to achieve its 60FPS mode. However, this mode depicts various frame rate drops, though these could be patched out by October.

Bloober Team also confirmed that both modes use Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen for software-based ray tracing. This is likely why the performance mode showed various hitches in the recent previews.

Silent Hill 2 Remake
Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Highly Anticipated Among Audiences

Still, it is great to see the team offering a 60FPS mode for those who seek a smoother experience. More details on the resolution should also be available closer to launch.

Latest Updates

Hopefully, the game won’t require render resolutions lower than 1080p. This was previously observed with the likes of Final Fantasy 16, leading to a blurry image that spoiled the whole experience.

Final Fantasy 16 Heading To PC On September 17; Priced At $50

Story Highlights
  • The Final Fantasy 16 PC port has been in the works for a while.
  • The JPRG is heading to PC on September 17, and a free demo is now available.
  • It will cost just $50 on the platform.

Final Fantasy 16 has been in development for PC for a while. The latest mainline entry in the series launched as a PS5 exclusive last year, but Square Enix began work on the PC version shortly after.

While fans had expected an update on this PC port at Gamescom, Square Enix has suddenly revealed more information. The JRPG is finally heading to PC next month.

Why it matters: This series has had a huge fandom on PC since previous entries like Final Fantasy 15 launched on the platform on day one.

Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 Is Very Different From Its Predecessors

Square Enix has confirmed a September 17 launch for Final Fantasy 16 on PC. In addition to Steam, this JRPG is heading to the Epic Games Store. It will also be priced at just $50 compared to the $70 launch price on the PS5.

This is a nice change of pace for the series since previous entries like Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade launched as timed Epic Games Store exclusives. Square Enix is unlikely to repeat this mistake in the future.

The team has also confirmed that a free demo is now available to download. This is the same demo that PS5 users got to play last year, giving fans a taste of Final Fantasy 16’s combat system, epic boss battles, and more.

Fans are also hoping for an Xbox port next. With Gamescom right around the corner and this surprise announcement, perhaps the Xbox version will be revealed at Gamescom.

Latest Updates

Final Fantasy 16 was well-received last year, but it sold just 3 million units. Following the Steam release, this JRPG might find a much bigger audience, driving it to the levels of success that Square Enix wanted.

1...828384Page 519 of 84