Gaming - Page 59

In a recent interview, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has discussed the rising concern of generative AI tools being used to develop games, and how that relates to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI.

Zelnick sat down with The Game Business where he was asked about his thoughts on generative AI tools making their way into the video game industry. According to Zelnick, these GenAI tools are nothing but that, tools, and that developers should approach them as such. Zelnick further explained that while these tools are useful they aren't a one-click solution to creating a good game.

The CEO of the company that publishes the Grand Theft Auto franchise added that he was "stunned" by the market's reaction to these new GenAI tools being unveiled, presumably NVIDIA's recent unveiling of DLSS 5, which has caused a defiant reaction from many within the gaming community and industry.

A pre-release version of Death Stranding 2 on PC has appeared on torrent websites just days before the game is released on platforms such as Steam.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to release on PC on March 20, and the game is now available to preload on Steam. That has seemingly resulted in a pre-release version of the game ending up on torrenting websites, as a user has presumably decrypted the preload files.

However, according to a piracy-focused subreddit, the leak came via Steam, via an unencrypted version of the game files that was made available by accident. It's not known exactly how long the files were left unencrypted, but it was apparently long enough for a user to download the 113GB and reupload it as a single package.

Sony has announced a new PlayStation Portal system software update that is headed out to the public on March 18, and the headlining feature of the update is a new 1080p High Quality mode for both Remote Play and Cloud Streaming.

PlayStation has announced the new system update in a blog post where it wrote that this mode will be running at a higher bitrate than the existing 1080p Standard mode, which means more data is being streamed to the device, translating to a sharper and cleaner image. That is if your internet connection can handle it (at least 5 Mbps download is required, but Sony recommends 15 Mbps). Players will be able to enable the new mode by heading to Quick Menu > Max Resolution > 1080p High Quality, and then restart the Remote Play or Cloud Streaming session.

In addition to the new streaming mode, the system update will come with a bunch of quality-of-life changes, designed to reduce friction as much as possible on the PlayStation Portal. For example, PlayStation says bundle pages will now let users choose a specific game when selecting "Stream," while game invites will appear as clearer on-screen notifications during supported cloud sessions. Furthermore, trophy pop-ups now show the trophy name and image more prominently, while Platinum trophies will be getting a dedicated animation.

Microsoft's announcement and confirmation that its upcoming Xbox Project Helix console will support both Xbox and PC games raises more questions than it answers. Like, whether Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of games will shift to PC versions on Project Helix, and how exactly it will offer a closed, console-like experience like Valve's SteamOS while still allowing access to third-party apps and competing storefronts like Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.

Based on a recent update to the Xbox app on PC, spotted by the team at Pure Xbox using a recent preview build, it looks like we'll see new features hit Windows 11 and devices like the ROG Xbox Ally as 'early versions' of what's in store with Project Helix. And with that context, even though it's a feature that's been part of Steam for years, the Xbox app now lets users add any third-party game or executable to their library for quick, easy access.

The process is simple: click on the '+' symbol in the 'My Library' section of the app, select the game or app, and then add it. From there, you can alter the name and even change the icon. Because it supports native Windows programs as well as games, this could be the first version of a Project Helix feature that integrates third-party software into the Xbox full-screen console experience.

In a new post on Sony's official PlayStation Blog, Kojima Productions' Jay Boor has outlined what to expect with the PC version of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is set to launch at the end of this week. In addition to a new "to the wilder" mode coming to the PS5 version of the game, we've also got details of the ray-tracing support for "high-end PC hardware."

This will be part of a new graphics mode that goes beyond the 'Very High' graphics settings and includes ray-traced reflections and ambient occlusion to enhance the game's presentation and image fidelity. Ray-traced ambient occlusion is one of those subtle but meaningful upgrades that enhances the detail between objects, which in turn makes everything in the world look more grounded and realistic.

That said, ray-tracing in Death Stranding 2 is entirely optional and not a part of the recommended specs or required to "enjoy the game as intended." With the Sony first-party studio Nixxes Software handling development of the PC version, it's set to launch with a wide range of PC-friendly features, including native support for NVIDIA's DLSS, AMD's FSR, and Intel's XeSS for super-resolution/upscaling and frame generation.

Bethesda's new Creation Engine is helping speed up development for Elder Scrolls 6 thanks to upgraded pipeline efficiencies and other major technical tweaks.

Bethesda is back in the news again, and Todd Howard is on a fresh press junket to discuss Starfield's new PS5 release. As these things typically go, Howard was asked about Elder Scrolls 6, and while he doesn't really confirm much regarding the game, he does say that the next-gen Creation Engine 3 is making a big difference in how the game is being made.

In a recent interview with IGN, Howard says that Creation Engine 3 allows the team to make more stable builds that can be consistently tested--which is a critical part of any game's development. A sizable portion of how games are made comes from the back-and-forth between creators and testers.

Bethesda knows that its game updates will break your mods, so it does its due diligence and tries to give modders ample time to prepare.

When Bethesda re-releases a game, it's usually great for the company but not so great for PC gamers--the new versions often break the customized versions of the game that have been tailor-made with mods. Interestingly enough, Bethesda's Todd Howard says that the studio is thoughtful about new game updates like Fallout 4 Anniversary--the studio knows the updates will break existing mods that rely on script extenders, so the devs try to mitigate that friction by giving script extender creators early access to new Fallout and Elder Scrolls builds.

In a recent interview with Mortismal Gaming about Bethesda and the future of Starfield, company mastermind Todd Howard briefly discussed the topic of new releases breaking old mods, especially script extenders like FOSE and SKSE that have to also be updated with the latest build. If you've ever wondered how these programs update so fast in tandem with releases, it appears that Bethesda "tries to" give the creators early access to specific game builds so the extenders can be as readily updated.

Saudi Arabia now has over $1 billion of Capcom stock, adding to its expanding pool of billion-dollar gaming investments.

With all of its myriad gaming investments, Saudi Arabia might be considered the next Tencent. Through various companies like the Savvy Games Group, the country has made several multi-billion dollar stakes in some of the biggest games companies on the planet, including Nintendo, Grand Theft Auto parent Take-Two Interactive, and even Capcom.

These investments are steadily growing. It's now been revealed that Saudi investment firm EGDC has bought 5% more of Capcom stock, worth around $600 million. The Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC) is owned by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

IO Interactive, the developers behind the iconic Hitman franchise and recent publishers of Build a Rocket Boy's MindsEye, have announced they are no longer engaging in a partnership with Build a Rocket Boy.

In a new blog post, it was announced that IOI Partners and Build a Rocket Boy have now concluded their publishing collaboration for MindsEye, which ended on March 16, 2026. The blog post states that Build a Rocket Boy will now take on sole publishing responsibilities for the title moving forward. Additionally, the publisher explains that, due to the partnership ending, the Hitman mission announced in June 2025, planned as a crossover event, will no longer be released.

IO Interactive goes on to write that Build a Rocket Boy will continue working with partners in the future, and that both IOI Partners and Build a Rocket Boy recognize the anticipation the announced collaboration generated among the community. The severing of IO Interactive from Build a Rocket Boy comes only weeks after the CEO claimed to have overwhelming evidence of corporate sabotage and espionage that influenced the release of MindsEye. Meanwhile, the developers of the title attributed its failure to leadership issues, mismanagement, and rushed development.

UPDATE:Krafton has issued the following response to the court's ruling:

The Krafton-Subnautica 2 lawsuit has reached a conclusion, and the courts are ruling in favor of the developers, reinstating fired CEO Ted Gill to lead Unknown Worlds.

Good news for Subnautica 2 fans: The original dev leadership team is returning to guide the game's ongoing early access development. A bit of catch-up around the case: Subnautica 2's dev team was close to hitting a performance target that would require Krafton to pay out a $250 million bonus. Krafton allegedly asked ChatGPT on how to get out of paying the fee. Krafton shook up the team leading the project, leading three devs--CEO Ted Gill, co-founder Max McGuire, and game director Charlie Cleveland--to sue Krafton.

Crimson Desert is a new, hotly anticipated open-world action RPG from Pearl Abyss, the studio behind Black Desert Online, and it's currently shaping up to be one of the biggest fantasy releases of 2026.

Pearl Abyss originally intended Crimson Desert as a prequel to Black Desert Online, but it eventually evolved into a fully standalone, single-player experience with a far stronger focus on narrative and cinematic storytelling. While there are many aspects of Crimson Desert to get excited about, many players are excited about the graphical experience the game will deliver in an open-world action RPG, especially since the tech experts over at Digital Foundry said the title running on a PS5 Pro delivered a "phenomenal experience".

Now, PlayStation Japan has released a 20-minute gameplay video of Crimson Desert running on a base PlayStation 5. However, the video has a maximum resolution of 1080p at 30FPS, making it extremely difficult to get a good sense of the graphical fidelity that PS5 players will experience. Crimson Desert is set for release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on March 19, 2026. If you are interested in checking out the PC specifications for the title, visit its Steam listing here.

Nintendo has released a new update for both the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and while Switch 1 owners aren't getting many new features, Nintendo has silently rolled out "Handheld Boost Mode" for Switch 2 gamers.

According to the patch notes, which detail Version 22.0.0, released on March 16, 2026, Switch 2 owners will be able to enjoy a bunch of new quality of life changes, along with "Handheld Boost Mode," which enables Switch 1 games to run as if they are in TV mode on the Switch 2 while in handheld mode.

The original Switch 1 has a 720p display, while the Switch 2 has a 1080p display, meaning Switch 2 owners should get a noticeable graphical upgrade in backward-compatible Switch 1 titles when Handheld Boost Mode is enabled. Moreover, this graphical improvement should also be noticed in titles that haven't received a dedicated Switch 2 upgrade, as it's simply a raw resolution increase. Then, once or if those titles receive a dedicated Switch 2 upgrade, they will look even better again.

NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 5 at GTC 2026, and the new technology has been met with immense pushback from gamers, who are concerned their video games will be poisoned with "AI slop" currently taking over numerous social media platforms.

DLSS 5 is on its way to release sometime in Fall 2026, and during the announcement, NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang described this next generation of DLSS as the "GPT moment for graphics," a reference to the release of the first AI model. In its announcement of DLSS 5, NVIDIA states that the next-generation AI upscaler will be able to "bridge the divide between rendering and reality" by analyzing light sources, characters, hair, shadows, skin, and other aspects of a single frame.

Then, DLSS 5 processes real-time game data and produces an image that, in some cases, such as the one NVIDIA used to demonstrate the technology, can change an image's appearance almost entirely. The discrepancy between the original image and the result when DLSS 5 is turned on is evident in many of the examples NVIDIA showed, producing a result that is stunningly different, which has sparked a steadfast, defiant stance by gamers against the technology's adoption.

Rumors of CD Projekt Red quietly working on a new Witcher 3 DLC have heated up once again, which is great for any fans of the iconic RPG that were a little dismayed at the idea CD Projekt Red was working on a new Witcher 3 DLC as the developer just confirmed it isn't working on something "secret" for Cyberpunk 2077. The thought being, "If they aren't working on something secret for Cyberpunk 2077, why would they be working on something for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt".

The rumors of the new DLC for Wild Hunt pointed to CD Projekt Red expanding on the region Velen, and the DLC would focus on bridging the gap between the events at the end of The Witcher 3 and the beginning of The Witcher 4. The idea generally sat well with many Witcher 3 fans, including myself, as what better way to get excited for The Witcher 4 than to dive back into the incredible world of The Witcher 3 to do a short-story-length piece of content that leads you right into the new game?

It would get long-time Witcher 3 fans opening up one of their favorite games again, reigniting their love for it, and then, that translates into purchase of The Witcher 4, or, at least that's what CD Projekt Red would be hoping. Now, a Polish analyst has penned a new report that claims they anticipate CD Projekt Red will release this rumored DLC sometime in September 2026, as they want to get it out before the release of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI, which is teed up to be one of, if not the biggest launch in gaming history.

DLSS 5 has been announced, and NVIDIA has confirmed it's on track for a Fall 2026 release. With NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang describing it as a "GPT moment for graphics," it takes in-game data to leverage neural rendering, delivering dramatic improvements in lighting, visual fidelity, and both character and environment detail in real-time.

"Bridging the divide between rendering and reality, DLSS 5 empowers game developers to deliver a new level of photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects," NVIDIA writes in the announcement. DLSS 5 utilizes a powerful new AI model trained on game objects and graphics, then adds per-pixel effects like realistic path-traced lighting, materials, detailed hair, and 'subsurface scattering on skin' to add an impressive amount of detail.

Developers also have control over the intensity, color grading, and other elements of DLSS 5 to ensure that the art direction, aesthetics, and visual detail are consistent with the game's artistic intent. That said, the announcement has been controversial, with online backlash claiming that some of the results look like AI-generated photo filters and video effects. Either way, it's hard to deny the staggering difference DLSS 5 can make, and with that, here's the list of the first 16 games getting DLSS 5 support.

NVIDIA's surprise DLSS 5 announcement at GTC 2026 has been controversial, with several comments from the wider gaming community and media comparing it to an Instagram-like AI filter that beautifies character models. This reaction mostly stems from one key example showcasing the character Grace in Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem, where there's the impression that DLSS 5 is not only changing the character's look but also adding additional details like makeup.

At its core, DLSS 5 is a game-changer and the first look at the future of in-game visuals, aiming to deliver lifelike, photorealistic lighting. DLSS 5 is powered by a new, powerful AI model (the demos we see are running on two GeForce RTX 5090s) that takes game data, models, geometry, textures, lighting, and more to render a photorealistic frame.

And like other DLSS technologies that use game and frame data, this will apparently ensure that the result is consistent from frame to frame and across different play sessions. In addition, developers have control over the intensity of the effect, color grading, and masking (i.e., choosing which elements in a scene not to apply DLSS 5 to), with NVIDIA confirming that the Resident Evil Requiem footage shown was tuned and approved by Capcom.

"Twenty-five years after NVIDIA invented the programmable shader, we are reinventing computer graphics once again," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA at GTC. "DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics, blending hand-crafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression."

NVIDIA's surprise DLSS 5 announcement this week has garnered a wide range of responses from the wider gaming community and media, and it's not hard to see why. The announcement video above, presenting DLSS 5 Off and DLSS 5 On examples in games like Resident Evil Requiem, Hogwarts Legacy, EA SPORTS FC, and Starfield, is jaw-dropping for the difference it makes in lighting, realism, and even detail. Mind-blowing even.

As NVIDIA briefly summarizes, DLSS 5 is a "real-time neural rendering model that infuses pixels with photoreal lighting and materials," taking a game's color and motion vectors as input. From there, developers have access to detailed controls over DLSS 5's intensity, color grading, masking, and more, to "maintain each game's unique aesthetic." As impressively game-changing as it is, and even though DLSS 5 doesn't change things like character models and animation, some of the results can look a little jarring in that Uncanny Valley sort of way.

WB Games Montreal has been hit with layoffs as its parent company prepares to merge with Paramount.

WB Games' Montreal-based studio has made a few layoffs across various fields, affecting devs that have been with the studio for years--including one that has 18 years with the group.

Over on LinkedIn, at least three developers have revealed that they have been let go from positions at WB Games Montreal. This follows a swath of layoffs conducted 8 months or so ago, which seems to be the results of WB management's earlier decisions to scale back its gaming ambitions and focus on four key franchises--Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC, and Game of Thrones. This strategy was led by the prospect of cost savings and reducing spending on higher-risk projects.

Marathon is out, and pulling respectable concurrent numbers on Steam while holding meaningful positions on platform sales charts...but the same can't be said about Destiny 2.

Forbes' Paul Tassi has noticed a trend with Destiny 2's numbers: Bungie's nearly 10-year-old live shooter has lost a lot of its players. How much is a lot? About 90% since the last expansion, Edge of Fate, which was deemed as one of the game's all-time worst updates.

SteamDB's sales charts for the lifetime of the game also revealed some other disappointing news: Destiny 2 is apparently at its lowest point, player-wise, on Steam. The game currently has less than 8,000 users on Steam, and according to the SteamDB, March 2026 represents the lowest point of all time for Destiny 2's player base.

Google's new Genie 3 AI won't be replacing actual game devs any time soon--the technology is still quite limited.

Google's DeepMind team attended GDC 2026 to talk about its experimental (and somewhat controversial) new Genie 3 model. The venue is an interesting choice for Google, especially since generative AI is typically frowned upon in the industry as AI has been seen as a major disruptor that's impacted jobs. Yet the discussion does add critical context to Genie 3, and should assuage investors who see Google's gen AI as a big shake-up for the industry (Google's previous technology, Stadia, was also supposed to shake up gaming...and when it didn't, Google pulled the plug rather quickly).

The reality is that Genie 3's worlds lose their coherence only after a few minutes of play, with glitches and issues quickly popping up. As per GameFile's Stephen Totilo, who attended Google DeepMind's GDC 2026 talk, the Genie 3 game experiences are smooth for the first minute, but essentially fall apart after that.