Gaming - Page 227

Steam has increased its concurrent player count by over 500,000 users in the last month, new data from SteamDB reveals.

Valve's PC platform has now achieved a new all-time concurrent player record. According to updated figures from SteamDB, the distribution client has amassed a whopping 37.26 million users all logged into the service at the same time. All-time peak players reached a total of 37,266,324, up +657,292 users since July 2024.

Black Myth: Wukong, which has sold a total of 10 million copies across all platforms, may be a big driver for some of this growth. The game has proven to be wildly successful in China, and has been #1 on Steam's top-selling charts for days since Wukong's launch on August 19.

Concord is #511 on Steam's top sellers list, official sales data from Valve indicates.

It's no shock that Concord isn't doing too well on Steam right now. Sony Interactive Entertainment's new first-party live service shooter has achieved less than 700 peak concurrent players since launch on Valve's PC platform--at the time of writing, there are 340 players, with 437 peak players in the last 24-hour period.

Valve publishes its top-selling games on Steam in a 1-100 list, but there's also an extended list that includes all of the platform's games listed from best- to worst-selling. Out of curiosity, I decided to take this list and throw it into Excel just to see where Concord sat.

The news of two new Half-Life games in development has been rumored for a while now, but more and more information is coming out about the two new Half-Life gamers from leaker Tyler McVicker. Check out his latest video below:

The 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2 is fast approaching us, so Valve teasing a next-generation Half-Life game would be quite the way to celebrate Gordon Freeman's 20th birthday. McVicker reminds us about Valve's next-gen in-house Deckard VR headset, connecting the dots between the new VR headset and the new Half-Life games.

Valve's two new Half-Life games would include a version you can play with your mouse and keyboard on the PC, playing as Gordon Freeman, while the other game is in VR -- probably tailor-made for Valve's new Deckard VR headset -- as Alyx Vance. You play TOGETHER in the new game, which would be incredibly cool to see happen.

Valve has finally announced the existence of one of the worst-kept secrets in the PC gaming world: its new multiplayer game, Deadlock. Tens of thousands of players have jumped into the game in recent weeks and months, so the company is finally ready for people to start talking about it and sharing impressions.

With Gamescom, you might have expected Valve to appear at the event and drop a Deadlock announcement trailer. Well, that's not the case. All that's happened is that the Deadlock Store Page on Steam has gone live with a little teaser video that doesn't show much, if anything, and a simple description that reads, "Deadlock is a multiplayer game in early development."

With more and more players jumping into Deadlock, we can confirm that it's a team or hero-based third-person shooter that incorporates mechanics that made Valve's DOTA 2 a hit. Lane-based action, upgrades, fighting creeps, and mini-bosses present a different flavor than Overwatch or Team Fortress 2.

We all know that Sony is working on a PlayStation 5 Pro console through rumors, but the company hasn't been official about the PS5 Pro at all... meanwhile, at Gamescom 2024 last week, it was an "open secret" that the PS5 Pro is coming.

Gamescom 2024 is held each year in Cologne, Germany, where this year Sony could've, but ultimately didn't unveil the PlayStation 5 Pro.

But, this didn't stop the developers at Gamescom talking about the PS5 Pro, where in a recent livestream by Italian website Multiplayer, said they had heard from a developer that they delayed their game because of the upcoming launch of the PS5 Pro.

Black Myth Wukong has quickly become one of the most-played single-player games in the world after it released on PC and PlayStation.

The title from Chinese developer Game Science has already sold more than 10 million copies across the globe as of August 23, which is only three days after its release. The new single-player RPG has also shattered records on Steam as it became the most-played single-player game in the platforms history with more than 2.4 million concurrent players, and still remains the #1 top-selling game. With all this popularity around Black Myth Wukong it begs the question - where is the Xbox release?

A recent Forbes article dives into this question and states that Black Myth Wukong is suffering from the same fate as Baldur's Gate 3, which was development issues related to Microsoft's low-end console, the Xbox Series S. Game Science actually addressed this back in June when fans noticed the Xbox logo was removed from Black Myth Wukong's marketing material.

Vintage gaming equipment can be quite hard to come by, and when you are looking for something that is truly unique it comes with an equally heavy price tag.

But what price tag do you put on a gold-plated Nintendo Wii console intended for Queen Elizabeth II? It seems it can be anywhere between $40,000 and $14,000. The one-of-one console was conceived by THQ as a marketing stunt for the release of Big Family Games, but has now appeared for the first time at Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany for public viewing.

The 24K gold-plated console was sent to Queen Elizabeth by THQ, but since the Crown doesn't accept "unsolicited gifts" the console made its way into the hands of a collector before it was passed on to ConsoleVariations, the ultimate console database. ConsoleVariations held a booth at Gamescom 2024 where it had on display the extremely rare Golden Wii. Additionally, it was also ConsoleVariations that shared a high-definition photograph of the extremely rare GameCube prototype codenamed "Dolphin".

The general rule of thumb when gaming is the higher the frames-per-second the smooth the in-game experience will be, particularly if the game you are playing has a lot of objects moving quickly on-screen.

Examples of this are found all throughout the gaming landscape, such as competitive first-person-shooters, MOBAs, third-person-shooters, and even fighting games. However, where a high frame rate isn't necessarily needed is in games that's content is much slower in speed, such as RPG titles with thick stories and high amounts of detail.

The current generation of consoles on both the Xbox and PlayStation fronts were marketed to consumers with a performance jump in the framerate department, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X being capable of 120FPS in select circumstances. However, Obsidian Art Director Matt Hansen doesn't believe this framerate headroom is necessary when building a first-person, single-player game, especially when the goal is to crank digital fidelity to the highest it can possibly go.

Sony has announced the MENA Hero Project, a new initiative that invests into the emerging market in an effort to help grow the video games industry.

With Sony's new global development programs, PlayStation is expanding into new worldwide geographies from the inside out. Sony first introduced its China Hero Project in 2023, offering publisher assistance and other aid to developers.

Now Sony is doing the same for the MENA region (Middle-East and North Africa). The MENA Hero Project will offer services and support to 12 countries via specific incubator programs that will help get games off the ground.

Obsidian is targeting a 30FPS minimum for Avowed on Xbox Series X/S consoles, similar to Starfield at launch.

Avowed will deliver 30FPS on Xbox Series X/S consoles at launch in order to provide a more smooth experience and prioritize graphics and visual effects. At least that's what Avowed art director Matt Hansen said in a recent 32-minute interview with the Iron Lords podcast.

"We are targeting 30 FPS, bare minimum. It's a first-person, single-player game, you don't necessarily need 60 frames,"Hansen said.

PlayStation's new live service hero-shooter Concord is currently available on PC and PS5, but less than 1,000 players have jumped in on Steam.

Early estimates indicate that Concord, the latest live service game from Sony Interactive Entertainment's Firewalk Studios, is off to a slow start on PC.

According to data compiled by SteamDB, Concord has less than 1,000 players currently in-game with the squad-based FPS achieving a peak count of around 697 players. The data aggregator notes that Concord is currently #78 in Steam's top sellers, with an estimated ownership of around 2.9K - 6.5K users.

Diablo 2: Resurrected has a particularly overpowered build that has essentially broken the game for over a year now...will Blizzard actually jump in to make changes and roll out a fix?

The remaster of Diablo 2 has been on the market for roughly 3 years now, and its developer, a studio previously known as Vicarious Visions, has been absorbed into Blizzard proper. Since then, Diablo 2 has received a few noteworthy patches that introduced some interesting runewords and changes into the game.

One of these updates included the introduction of the Mosaic runeword, which has essentially broken Diablo 2. Mosaic was part of the Patch 2.6 update released in February 2023. For over a year now, Mosaic has run rampant in the game, allowing players to essentially create one of the most overpowered builds for magic- and rune-finding, essentially unlocking a new level of access to items that has never before been available in Diablo 2.

Black Myth: Wukong has sold 10 million copies across the globe as of August 23, just 3 days after release, developer Game Science has announced.

Chinese gaming sensation Black Myth: Wukong is a verified hit. The game has now sold 10 million copies across PlayStation 5 and PC (including sales on Valve's Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Tencent's WeGame platforms), making it one of the fastest- and best-selling video games of all time.

With numbers like these, Black Myth: Wukong is brushing up against greats like Nintendo's mega-hits Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet duo, both of which sold a similar 10 million copies in a specific span (note that these sales include many months of pre-orders and the 3-day period refers to the general availability since launch to the dates the numbers were reported).

Hbada's E3 Ergonomic Gaming Chair supports your body during those hours spent working, but also when you're taking a break to watch a movie or relax with your favorite game. In today's world, many of us spend considerable time sitting and interacting with cutting-edge technology. Whether it's for work, rest, play, or all of the above, choosing the right chair for maintaining a healthy and comfortable lifestyle is not only important but essential.

Hbada has been developing, designing, and releasing award-winning ergonomic chairs for over a decade now. The Hbada E3 Ergonomic Gaming Chair represents the pinnacle of ergonomics, with the company bringing the same commitment to cutting-edge technology as the devices we all interact with. In 2008, the company was the first to introduce large-angle adjustable technology to the industry, considering home office life, study, entertainment, and relaxation. What's large-angle adjustable technology? Well, it lets you recline like you're sitting in a fancy movie theater on one of those high-end leather recliners.

This commitment to ergonomics and support has led Hbada to develop new technologies and materials, from three-zone lumbar protection to the introduction of the T-Shaped Support System. The Hbada E3 Ergonomic Gaming Chair cements the brand as a global leader in supporting a healthy lifestyle while maintaining the look, feel, and quality of a professional ergonomic chair. Let's take a closer look to find out what makes the Hbada E3 Ergonomic Gaming Chair a cutting-edge product for all your sitting needs.

Embark Studios has unleashed a new trailer for its upcoming PvPvE action survival shooter, ARC Legends, at Gamescom's Opening Night Live event. Check it out:

ARC Legends started as a free-to-play title into a fully-fledged $40 premium release, with developer Embark Studios -- ex-DICE developers who worked on the better Battlefield games, and more recently, THE FINALS -- setting a launch date for some time in 2025.

You will play as an Arc Raider, topside explorers scavenging the destroyed world for supplies for the subterranean settlements. They must fight each other as well as enemy robots called Arc Machines for those resources, and can only grow as characters if you make it back to the settlement in one piece.

In a recent interview with IGN, Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann gave an update on the elusive Lord of the Rings MMO currently in development at Amazon Games.

Since the deal went through in May 2023 for Amazon and Embracer Group to produce a new MMO game based in the world of Middle-Earth there hasn't really been any details revealed about the game. Hartmann was asked to provide an update, to which he said there isn't really much of an update to give. However, within Hartmann's downplaying of any expectations of a massive reveal the Amazon Games boss did reveal some important information.

The Lord of the Rings MMO appears to still be in its conceptual phase, as Hartmann says Amazon Games is "still trying to find the hook, find that idea of what it is because we don't just want to go and do the same thing over." Hartmann appears to be referring to all of the other MMO games out there, possibly also MMORPG titles as well, as the Amazon Games boss says, "You've got to find a fresh twist, and we're still, I think, in that period where we really want to find out what could be the hook, what could be the thing which is different to all the other games out there. So it's a little bit early."

Fallout 76's creative director Jonathan Rush teases the game's new Gleaming Depths raid that's coming in December.

Bethesda is cooking up big updates for Fallout 76 fans for the latter half of the year. In just a few weeks, Fallout 76's new Milepost Zero update will launch, bringing with it a big new overhaul to legendary crafting (and the discontinuation of legendary cores along the way). But there's something fearsome waiting for die-hard players during the holidays.

Sometime in December, Bethesda will release Fallout 76's new Gleaming Depths raid that promises fearsome tough-as-nails boss battles set inside of a glowing, irradiated cave system. One of these bosses--a towering mutated cobra monstrosity--was shown during this year's QuakeCon 2024 event in Dallas, Texas.

Bethesda highlights Fallout 76's new-and-improved crafting system that will be introduced with September 3's Milepost Zero update.

Fallout 76's free Milepost Zero update is right around the corner, bringing some big changes with it. Bethesda has announced that legendary cores will be discontinued when Milepost Zero launches, and will instead be converted into Legendary Scrip on September 3. Until then, Bethesda has extended the Legendary Scrip surplus bonus so that gamers can accumulate Scrip and prepare for the new crafting system.

Today in a quick development preview video, the studio outlined some of the key changes that are coming to legendary crafting, namely the chance to secure legendary prefix recipes from scrapped items. Apparently the chances of this happening are quite slim, but it's still possible.

Sea of Thieves has sold over 1 million copies since it launched on PlayStation 5, sources have told Windows Central's Jez Corden.

Microsoft's bet on Sony's platform is paying off in spades. A bit ago, Microsoft made the controversial decision to launch four Xbox exclusives on PlayStation 5, including Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush. Two of these games are live service titles with a premium price tag alongside in-game microtransactions.

While Microsoft has been vague on the performance of these games, and the overall results of its experiment, things are apparently going well. Our own findings here at TweakTown show that Sea of Thieves and Grounded were among the top 25 best-sellers on the PlayStation Store for multple weeks, culminating in an interesting trend of Microsoft having more best-sellers on the PS Store than Sony did (the Fallout TV show also helped catalyze Fallout game sales).

Black Myth: Wukong is the hottest game out right now, quickly attracting millions of players to a new single-player story that has already broken the record for highest concurrent-player title on Steam, beating the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and only falling short to battle-royale sensation PUBG.

The new title is from Chinese developer Game Science who has set out to give a fresh take on the iconic story of Son Wukong, a very popular piece of Chinese mythology that has previously been adapted many times into various forms of media, particularly film.

The popularity behind the Wukong character combined with the intense graphics showcased in trailers caused Black Myth: Wukong to have a meteoric rise in Steam's most-played charts, clocking more than 2 million players in 24 hours, making it the most-played singleplayer game in the history of Steam. Notably, Steam's numbers don't include players enjoying the title on other platforms.