games news

• Starfield's random encounters include entire procedural mini-quests

  14-12-2022 19:26 via GamesRadar+
  
  Starfield's random encounters will sometimes take you through entire procedural mini-quests with multiple locations, characters, and storylines.In a new video from Bethesda, Starfield lead quest designer Will Shen was asked to explain how the upcoming RPG tackles random encounters, and he revealed that new tech is allowing the developers to evolve and expand this particular system. In previous Bethesda games, random encounters were limited to procedurally placed enemies, but in Starfield they'll
  
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• Almost 200,000 Mass Effect fans sign petition to save the series after BioWare's demise

  25-10-2026 22:48 via GamesRadar+
  
  In the week since BioWare's sudden shutdown and Mass Effect 5's cancellation, fans of the RPG series have rallied around a petition to "Save Mass Effect" that's gained nearly 200,000 signatures. Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale (who voice the male and female versions of protagonist Commander Shepard, respectively) are both on board with the community's efforts, too."Mass Effect holds a special place in the hearts of millions of players worldwide," the petition's description reads. "Its rich and immer
  
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• After 7 years of development, Katana Zero DLC is now "the size of a full sequel"

  25-10-2026 14:00 via GamesRadar+
  
  Cult classic indie game Katana Zero has pulled a Hollow Knight Silksong, sort of - the long, long awaited Katana Zero DLC is now sequel-sized, according to the game's lead developer Justin Stander. Katana Zero first became a huge success more than seven years ago, thanks to its gorgeous pixel art and lightning speed action that felt like a mix between Hotline Miami's heart-thumping brutality and Sekiro's sword slashing parries. A cryptic story and banger soundtrack didn't hurt, either.After seve
  
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• The Elden Ring movie is reportedly A24's most expensive production ever with a $200 million budget

  25-10-2026 10:16 via GamesRadar+
  
  A24 and Alex Garland's Elden Ring movie is supposedly the studio's most expensive production of all time with a reported budget of $200 million. FromSoftware's RPG adaptation ain't cheap.The figure comes courtesy of a recent Wall Street Journal report that states A24 is spending "nearly $200 million" to adapt the landmark dark fantasy game, not including marketing costs, according to sources in the know. Earlier in the year, the reported figure was closer to $100 million - still A24's biggest mo
  
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• The Witcher star Doug Cockle recorded all of Geralt's lines for the OG RPG in just 8 days

  25-10-2026 09:52 via GamesRadar+
  
  Doug Cockle (of The Witcher fame) apparently recorded all of Geralt of Rivia's voice lines in only 8 days while working on the very first game in the series, and he landed a home run without ever being able to read the original source material.Geralt's husky voice will forever be defined by Doug Cockle's performance, but the iconic role wasn't easy to get right. Speaking to Gameology, the actor remembered he simply "went to an audition" back in the day and met a developer from CD Projekt Red who
  
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• Open-world spy game from Grand Theft Auto dev never happened because Rockstar couldn't get it right

  24-10-2026 18:30 via GamesRadar+
  
  In 2009, GTA 6 developer Rockstar Games revealed a totally new series to the public: Agent, an open-world stealth romp set during the 1970s' Cold War that was due to be exclusive to the PS3. Agent never came to be, but Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says it wasn't for a lack of trying. After a series of years-long rumors and teases, Agent was formally announced to the world at E3 2009. The famed developer never properly announced the project's cancelation, but it eventually abandoned the tradema
  
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• Mass Effect Universe supposedly featured "Hitman-style freedom" and a "galactic Cold War"

  24-10-2026 16:01 via GamesRadar+
  
  New gameplay details from the canceled Mass Effect game have emerged, following developer BioWare's abrupt demise. Mass Effect Universe was reportedly set to feature a galactic Cold War between the galaxy's remaining factions, espionage mechanics likened to the Hitman series, and, of course, romance.The new tidbits come from YouTuber Dantics, who was supposedly on the Mass Effect player council composed of community members and content creators who gave BioWare feedback during production. IGN ha
  
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• Pokemon Winds and Waves might benefit from next-gen water tech

  24-10-2026 15:00 via GamesRadar+
  
  A new research paper co-authored by a Game Freak developer dives deep into next-gen water simulation tech, raising hopes for Pokemon Winds and Waves' summery vistas and underwater areas.Game Freak programmer Fumiya Narita and University of Tokyo professor Takashi Kanai recently co-published a new paper that aims to help render water and moving liquids more efficiently, without sacrificing any of the visual detail that really makes the ocean splash in animation. (Good spot, Automaton.)Their joint
  
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• Peak devs explain why the viral co-op game's size tripled with new console ports

  24-10-2026 14:04 via GamesRadar+
  
  The developers behind Peak have finally launched their viral co-op climbing game on consoles, but the long-awaited port also had the side effect of tripling the game's file size on Steam. Why? Well, Team Peak explains that it's because there's now 208 maps in rotation, rather than the usual 30.More than a year after the game's swift ascent on PC, Peak has now - ahem - peaked on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC. The new ports also introduced cross-play across all platforms, as
  
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• Xbox COO and ex-Minecraft boss leaves Microsoft after just 3 months in the role

  24-10-2026 01:32 via GamesRadar+
  
  Helen Chiang, a Microsoft veteran who was head of Minecraft before transitioning to Xbox Chief Operating Officer (COO), has left the company after 21 years.The Verge (paywalled) obtained a copy of an internal memo sent by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announcing Chiang's departure, and as the publication notes, it's surprisingly brief for such a high-profile change in leadership. "Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today. I'm grateful for her years of service and wish her well," said Sharma. The memo repo
  
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• The best thing Valve has added to Steam in years just graduated to "full feature"

  24-10-2026 00:48 via GamesRadar+
  
  Arguably the biggest problem with Steam is that there are so many games being released on the platform every day that it can be difficult to keep track of the new titles that are actually cool and interesting. Last year, Valve introduced a beta for a new feature called Personal Calendars, and it instantly became the coolest tool Steam had for narrowing down the new release list. Now, finally, it's out for real."With today's Steam update, the Personal Calendar feature officially graduates from St
  
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• Blizzard caves to Diablo 4 players, increases Prime Evil Splinter stack size by 9900%

  23-10-2026 23:17 via GamesRadar+
  
  After weeks of outcry, Blizzard has seemingly caved to pressure from the ever-vocal Diablo 4 community and increased stacking on Prime Evil Splinters from 1, which means no stacking, all the way up to 99, a 9900% increase. That's not just a compromise, that's a full-blown reversal seemingly based on feedback from the players."WE GOT A SPLINTER STACK SIZE INCREASE," reads an excited Reddit post featuring a screenshot from the latest Diablo 4 patch notes, which confirm, "The stack size for Prime E
  
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• After Wednesday ends, Jenna Ortega will "probably be off the TV for a while"

  23-10-2026 23:13 via GamesRadar+
  
  Jenna Ortega says she'll probably retire from TV for a while after Netflix's Wednesday ends.“I actually haven’t had a lot of franchise conversations," Ortega said, via The Hollywood Reporter. The actor starred in both Jane the Virgin and Disney's Stuck in the Middle long before landing Wednesday. "What I’m meant to do will come and find me. I think after Wednesday, I’ll probably be off the TV for a while. You know I had many years doing [TV]. I was bouncing from show to show as a kid and
  
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• After asking "how am I not banned," Arc Raiders streamer gets hardware banned for aimbotting

  23-10-2026 23:09 via GamesRadar+
  
  Arc Raiders streamer aimkey wondered, in an October 20 Twitter post, "how am I not banned yet" as hea gameplay clip that some viewers interpreted as a sure sign of aimbotting given the unusually fast and accurate reticle work. Today, October 23, he confirmed that he has been hardware banned from Arc Raiders for aimbotting. "I've been falsely banned from ARC Raiders for aimbotting," reads a recent post from aimkey. "I've dedicated my life to this game since release, streaming thousands of hours o
  
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• Still mad at Valve for Steam's AI disclosures, Epic Games boss criticizes "forcing developers"

  23-10-2026 22:59 via GamesRadar+
  
  Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Valve for continuing to mandate AI disclosures for games sold on Steam, calling the policy "abhorrent" following his company's full-throated endorsement of gen AI in game development. "Forcing developers to write a political statement to be used against them by the hate mob they’re helping organize is abhorrent," says Sweeney. Steam's AI disclosures require devs who use generative AI in their games to spell out how it was used. For example, the disclosure
  
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• Factorio 2.1, the last big update to the icon that got 234,000 glowing Steam reviews, is out

  23-10-2026 22:57 via GamesRadar+
  
  Factorio effectively created a genre with its lovable blend of base building, management, and survival, and it's been a Steam icon ever since it first hit early access way back in 2016. Even after a 1.0 release, a 2.0 update, and a major DLC expansion the devs have made good on their promise to never put the game on sale, and now we're here at yet another milestone with Factorio 2.1.After months in testing, the 2.1 update has now been officially released, offering "a big collection of quality of
  
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• Zelda: Ocarina of Time designer wanted Navi to be a "cute girl," but it "wasn't possible" on N64

  23-10-2026 20:56 via GamesRadar+
  
  I'm more of a Midna stan, but there's no denying Navi from Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the series' most iconic ethereal companion, with her lovably nagging pleas to "hey, listen" still ringing through the Zelda pantheon after all these years. The original vision for the li'l fairy, however, was very different from the glowing orb with wings we know and love today, and it's only because of the technical limitations of the Nintendo 64 that she looks the way she does.Nintendo veteran and Ocarina of T
  
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• "For most of development, GTA 3 was in a sorry state": Rockstar veteran reflects ahead of GTA 6

  23-10-2026 19:36 via GamesRadar+
  
  Ahead of GTA 6, Rockstar veteran Obbe Vermeij marked the 25-year anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3 with a lengthy retrospective examining its difficult development. GTA 3 was a pioneering open-world game and a landmark release for Rockstar, but in a recent Twitter post, Vermeij says, "For most of development, GTA 3 was in a sorry state."Vermeij says "it crashed frequently, the frame rate was terrible and the map was full of holes. Only in the last six months did everything come together. For the
  
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• Tim Sweeney shares the time he called a beloved studio's death "economically realistic"

  23-10-2026 19:00 via GamesRadar+
  
  You can trace the lineage of beloved games like Deus Ex, BioShock, and Dishonored directly back to Looking Glass Studios. This developer is one of the most notable in the history of the game industry, having effectively created the immersive sim genre through classics like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Thief. However, the studio's closure in 2000 wasn't really "sad," at least according to Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. It was simply a matter of economics."This isn't a sad day, it
  
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• BioWare fans beg Palworld studio to save Mass Effect by buying the IP from EA

  23-10-2026 18:29 via GamesRadar+
  
  Sadly, we learned this week that BioWare is being shut down by EA. The legendary studio was responsible for many beloved RPGs, including the Mass Effect series, for which a new installment was deep in development. In the aftermath, fans have been scurrying for ways to salvage the project, including courting Palworld developer Pocketpair.No, seriously - and apparently this isn't the first time that's happened, either. "Soon after a game is canceled or a studio shuts down, we get a lot of comments
  
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• Final Fantasy Resonance is the second-biggest Steam launch of any turn-based RPG from Square Enix

  23-10-2026 18:15 via GamesRadar+
  
  Final Fantasy Resonance – the first game in the series to be made in Square Enix's HD-2D style – is already the second-biggest Steam launch for any turn-based RPG title from the developer.Square Enix has finally relented to years of suggestions and released a Final Fantasy game in the HD-2D style, with the latest spinoff in the series, Final Fantasy Resonance, dropping this week. Like last year's Octopath Traveler Zero, this HD-2D RPG adapts one of Square's previous mobile games – Final Fa
  
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• Almost 50 years later, Star Wars fans are appreciating one of the saga's best moments

  23-10-2026 18:01 via GamesRadar+
  
  It might have been almost 50 years since the original Star Wars movie was released in theaters, but fans are still sharing the love for one of its most iconic scenes. On Reddit, one fan shared their appreciation for the binary sunset scene, in which Luke Skywalker stares into the Tatooine twin-sunset as John Williams's score rises. "This will always be one of my favorite Star Wars scenes," they wrote. The comments are full of more fans admiring the classic moment. "That music is INCREDIBLE," say
  
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• Xbox negotiations with Marvel's Blade developer Arkane reportedly aren't going well

  23-10-2026 17:48 via GamesRadar+
  
  Conversations are ongoing concerning the fate of Arkane Studios, one of many companies impacted by Xbox's current restructuring. Sadly, reports suggest the team and Microsoft will be parting ways, and what will become of its slate at the moment remains in the air.The information comes from Le Monde, a French publication that spoke to union representatives about Arkane's discussions with Xbox. Given the changes underway in Microsoft's games division, a November 13 deadline looms for the consultat
  
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• Modern Warfare 4 has received a DMZ change that was "so badly needed"

  23-10-2026 17:15 via GamesRadar+
  
  Modern Warfare 4 has received a much-needed update to stop people from UAV-hogging during DMZ matches. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is finally out today after what can – in the nicest way – be described as a unique launch rollout. Last week, players were able to access the game's campaign mode, and earlier this week, the DMZ mode became available to drop into. DMZ is Activision's take on the extraction shooter genre, letting 20 squads drop onto a massive map and play a dangerous version of
  
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• Roman's footage in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has been cut together, and it changes how you watch season 2

  23-10-2026 17:14 via GamesRadar+
  
  Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has already received the 'Roman Cut', home movie splicing together the camera footage shot by season 2's best boy, Roman.The 10-minute video from Twitter user Epic Jimmy, which you can see below, puts all of Roman's washed-out camera clips into chronological order as he charted D.'s revenge journey across Night City, as well as all the death and destruction in his wake. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 - The Roman Cut https://t.co/o9KoKG4zZDOctober 22, 2026What immediately jumps o
  
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• Netflix reportedly wanted a $500 million film and TV deal with Xbox – but the counter offer was $800 million

  23-10-2026 17:10 via GamesRadar+
  
  Netflix reportedly wanted to strike a deal with Microsoft to licence Xbox titles for adaptation – and the counter offer was eye-wateringly high. That's according to Puck News's Matt Belloni, who says that the deal came from Netflix's former Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, who was recently fired and replaced by Peter Rice, a former Disney executive. The offer is said to have been $500 million for seven years to exclusively licence Xbox titles for film and TV adaptations. Xbox CEO Asha Sharm
  
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• New Prime Video reality show Fallout Shelter: The Experiment finally has a release date

  23-10-2026 17:00 via GamesRadar+
  
  Almost 10 months after the initial announcement, Prime Video finally has a release date for Fallout Shelter: The Experiment, a new reality show based in the world of post-apocalyptic video game franchise Fallout.The unscripted reality competition series is set to hit Prime Video on January 13, 2027, with the first four episodes in tow. The remaining three will air weekly through January 27.Per the new press release, the series is a new reality competition series that invites everyday participant
  
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• Where to buy the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2: Amazon gets fresh restock ahead of launch

  23-10-2026 16:42 via GamesRadar+
  
  Many wondering where to buy the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 have been stuck desperately hunting for stock after the special edition was swept off the shelves within its first day at pre-order. However, retailers have started dropping additional stock of the hard-to-find release in the last day, which means these engines are starting to rev once more.In fact, the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 is currently in stock right now in the UK. Both Amazon and Argos have these handhelds ready to
  
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• Diablo 4 PTR 3.3.0 confirms Season 16 is taking Druids back to school to address broken tags

  23-10-2026 16:37 via GamesRadar+
  
  The new Diablo 4 PTR period is right around the corner, and Blizzard's revealed what changes players can tinker with ahead of the full update. The druid class is receiving some significant tweaks, war plans are getting deeper and more intricate, and more."Some features from the Season of Hell's Legacy will be carrying forward into Season 16," the introduction says. "However, these will not be part of this PTR, as we want to focus on new features for testing."The notes from the devs start with wh
  
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• Final Fantasy 14 players get 1 free day of game time after Square Enix lifts the MMO's PHP lockdown

  23-10-2026 16:08 via GamesRadar+
  
  After a wild week of security fears and login restrictions, Final Fantasy 14 went back up and open to the public yesterday – but Square Enix is well aware that subscribed players lost out on game time due to the situation… paid game time.In case you're out of the loop, there was a major worldwide internet security scare earlier this week involving PHP, the programming language that powers various websites and more.
  There were two serious security weaknesses, leading to many shutdowns – eve
  
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