Steam Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Bandai Namco’s new Pomeranian game Doronko Wanko has captured the hearts of the internet.Released earlier this week on Steam, Doronko Wanko (which roughly translates as “Little barker covered in mud”) is a free-to-play game that sees players take control of an adorable Pomeranian puppy. Your only goal? Make as much mess as possible.Fans are comparing it to a cross between Splatoon and Nintendogs, while others are saying it’s basically a reverse Power Wash Simulator.In Doronko Wanko, players encourage the “innocent” puppy to roll around in mud, before spreading it around their master’s house.

Crypt Of The NecroDancer has launched a surprise collaboration with virtual idol Hatsune Miku.Crypt Of The NecroDancer was first released in 2015 and has received regular updates from Brace Yourself Games ever since. Last month, the team’s ambitious Synchrony DLC left Early Access and was released in full, bringing weekly challenge modes, cross-platform multiplayer, new characters and extensive mod support to the roguelike rhythm game.However, Brace Yourself has now surprise-launched a crossover with Hatsune Miku.Available to purchase on steam for £1.69, the Hatsune Miku DLC allows players to “Descend through the Crypt Of The NecroDancer as the one and only Hatsune Miku! With your trusty leek, iconic outfits, and dazzling dance moves, face down any enemy that comes your way with style,” explained the listing.Hatsune Miku can move in all eight directions and can dig by dashing enemies into walls.

Content Warning has taken Steam by storm.It is a first-person game where players explore urban ruins and use in-game cameras to produce videos to upload to SpöökTube. It appears to be parodying YouTubers who explore derelict buildings and “backrooms”, an internet term for barren, repetitive rooms, like disused offices and maintence tunnels.The game was shadowdropped, meaning without any notice, on April 1, available for free.

Capcom has confirmed it is working on a number of fixes for Dragon’s Dogma 2 after a shaky launch.Posting an update on Steam, Capcom confirmed it would be considering adding a dedicated button for PC players that would allow them to start a new game more easily.As it stands, the process of restarting your progress in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a complicated one, as the game only offers one save slot. Currently, PC players have to disable Steam cloud saves and then manually delete the save data from the backend.

Stardew Valley players are eagerly awaiting the 1.6 update, due to launch later today, and creator ConcernedApe has revealed many mods should be compatible with the update immediately.ConcernedApe, real name Eric Barone, tweeted last night, “A ton of mods are already updated for 1.6”. He recommends “trying out 1.6 without mods”, but also stated, “I’ve added a public steam branch that will let you stay on version 1.5.6 if you choose”.

Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams said at this year’s Game Developers Conference that executives responsible for mass industry layoffs “can all eat shit, I think they’re horrible, and I think they’re bad people.”Speaking to PC Gamer, Adams was wondering what the future of Dwarf Fortress could look like. When considering the kind of decisions that need to be made to keep a studio afloat, he asked himself if he’d have “more empathy for the people that lay people off.” The answer was, decidedly, “No, I don’t fucking think so”.He continued, “These decisions, they don’t sound practical.

Capcom has shared an introductory video of Dragon’s Dogma 2, narrated by legendary actor Ian MacShane.Dragon’s Dogma 2 was first announced in June 2022, a decade after the original game was released, and is set to launch next week (March 22) for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC via Steam.Players have already been getting to grips with the free Character Creator tool that’s currently available to download, and now Capcom has shared a more substantial introduction to the action role-playing game via a seven-minute video that has been designed to “review everything you need to know before you start your adventure”.“Lend me a moment and I’ll tell you a story of a fantastical realm,” starts McShane, welcoming viewers to a world “touched by magick” and an “everlasting saga of hearts set ablaze.”From there, the actor talks potential players about the Arisen, a hero set out to vanquish the dragon, “a dreadful creature of chaos and awe”, that’s plagued the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 for “untold aeons”.Arisen also have the power to summon mystical beings from parallel worlds via a rift, with these pawns able to use a range of attacks to help players in their quest across two very different nations.

Steam has announced the most popular games on Steam Deck over the past 12 months, with Baldur’s Gate 3 topping the chart.“It’s been roughly two years since we launched Steam Deck, and we thought we’d take a look at the games being played on it the most in its second year,” wrote Valve, ranking the games in order by highest daily active player count.Larian Studios’ Dungeons & Dragons-inspired party-based RPG topped the ranking, with time survival rougelike Vampire Survivors coming in second.Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy and casual management sim Dave The Diver rounded out the top five most popular Steam Deck titles from March 2023 to March 2024.Palworld came in sixth, while Helldivers 2 was 34th. The full list can be seen here and you can check out the top 20 below:Baldur’s Gate 3Vampire SurvivorsDave The DiverHogwarts LegacyElden RingPalworldCyberpunk 2077Grand Theft Auto 5Stardew ValleyRed Dead Redemption 2HadesBrotatoThe Elder Scrolls 5: SkyrimThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntSlay The SpireCult Of The LambDead CellsThe Binding Of Isaac: RebirthMonster Hunter: WorldPersona 5 RoyalReleased in August last year, Baldur’s Gate 3 became one of the biggest, most successful games of 2023.

Persona 3 Reload is getting its first piece of DLC, with two sets of songs from Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden being added.These two sets, featuring 16 songs in total, will be available via Persona 3 Reload‘s expansion pass, which is out now. The expansion pass is free for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via Game Pass Ultimate Perks through January 31, 2025, and is otherwise available for £28.99 on digital storefronts.From Persona 5, fans will get ‘Life Will Change’, ‘Beneath the Mask’, ‘Kichijoji 199X’, ‘Gentle Madman’, ‘I Believe’, ‘Keeper of Lust’, ‘Blooming Villain’, and ‘Victory’.

Payday 3 developer Starbreeze has fired its CEO, Tobias Sjögren, following the underperformance of the heist-themed first-person shooter.In a notice to investors, Starbreeze stated it has appointed Juergen Goeldner as interim CEO. Goeldner is the former Focus Entertainment CEO and has over 40 years of experience in the video game industry.

Ghost Of Tsushima is being released on PC in May of this year, following an announcement yesterday (March 6).The title will be releasing alongside both the Legends multiplayer mode and the Iki Island DLC in one package currently priced at £49.99 ($59.99). The game will be released on May 16 across both Steam and the Epic Games Store.The PC version of the game will come with ultrawide monitor support and support for 21:9, 32:9 and 48:9 resolutions for triple monitor setups.

Nacon’s open-world Terminator game now has a title and an Early Access launch date.Originally announced back in 2022, Terminator: Survivors is the first survival game set in the Terminator universe and was promised to feature “an original story that builds on the events of the official films”.“We can’t say much more for now, but this is definitely something to keep your eyes on,” said Nacon at the time. Now, after months of silence, the studio has confirmed Terminator: Survivors will launch later this year in Early Access.Due for release October 24 on Steam, Nacon have also promised Terminator: Survivors will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S “at a later date” during their Nacon Connect 2024 showcase.“Play as a survivor in an open world set after Judgment Day where you, alone or in co-op, scavenge resources to build a base of operations for mankind. But you’re not alone,” reads the official Steam listing, with the game set after the events of the first two films.“It’s been four years since the day humanity nearly perished.

Arrowhead Studios has said the ongoing issues with players accessing Helldivers 2 can’t be fixed by simply buying more servers.Helldivers 2 was released earlier this month and quickly became Sony Interactive Entertainment’s biggest ever launch on PC. It went on to rack up over one million sales in a handful of days.

Ghost Ship Games and Funday Games have removed an “out of place” line from Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor over concerns it will upset some players.Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is a single player survivor-like auto-shooter set within the world of Deep Rock Galactic. The spin-off was released into Early Access last week (February 14) with the launch going “well over” the expectations of developers.Earlier this week, Survivor surpassed Deep Rock Galactic’s peak of concurrent players. “That was not supposed to happen,” said Ghost Ship Games CEO Søren Lundgaard.“We have seen a massive interest in the game,” started the patch notes for the update launched earlier today (February 21).

PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch in November 2023.Games that had this content tag accounted for less than two per cent of Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo’s roster of titles available on their digital storefronts.

Homeworld 3 has received a free demo in Steam Next Fest, along with a new release date.Developer Blackbird Interactive and publisher Gearbox announced the delay on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday evening (February 7).“Watching you share your experiences, exchange and debate strategies, and give us constant feedback has been incredible. This was our first time seeing the game played at scale, which is always an equally thrilling and nerve-wracking moments,” the post read.“We also recently gathered a dedicated group of players from outside our organizations to play through the full game.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League will launch with controversial anti-piracy software Denuvo.While Rocksteady Studios hasn’t officially confirmed the inclusion of Denuvo, an updated Steam listing said Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League “incorporates 3rd-party DRM” while an entry on SteamDB’s changelist from January 20 reads: “Added third-party DRM – Denuvo Anti-Tamper.”Denuvo is a digital rights management system designed to protect games from piracy and requires a regular online connection to confirm a player owns a license to play the game. However it’s one of the more intrusive DRM systems and has been accused of slowing down several games.Back in 2021, hackers claimed that Denuvo was to blame for Resident Evil Village‘s performance issues while Humankind developer Amplitude Studios said Denuvo’s integration was “not good enough” to avoid performance issues, and dropped it ahead of launch.The news about Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League’s use of Denuvo hasn’t gone over well with fans either.“It’s like someone is trying to sabotage the game,” wrote one Reddit user.

Gears Of War designer Cliff ‘CliffyB’ Bleszinski has revealed he once pitched a game similar to Palworld to Epic Games, but was turned down.Released earlier this month in Early Access, Palworld has quickly become one of the most popular games on Steam. Creators PocketPair have reported upwards of 8million copies of the game have been sold in a week while earlier today (January 26), it became only the second ever game to pass 2million concurrent players on Steam, with PUBG being the first.Now Bleszinski has taken to social media to talk about how validating Palworld’s success has been for him.“Palworld‘s success kinda validates my pitch that was turned down at Epic many years ago,” he wrote with his idea revolving around “medieval Pokémon with baby dragons instead.”Responding to a fan, Bleszinski revealed that his pitch for the mobile game “just never went anywhere”.It just…never went anywhere.

The Pokémon Company has released a statement promising to “investigate” any and all titles that infringe on their intellectual property rights following the release of Palworld earlier this month.Developed by Pocketpair, Palworld tasks players with using a variety of creatures known as Pals to build, fight or collect.Since it was announced, the survival game has been compared to Pokémon with creators telling NME: “We were surprised by the comparisons to be honest, especially those labeling it as ‘Pokémon with guns’. Pokémon definitely inspired us, but Palworld is far more action-orientated in comparison.”They went on to say they were more inspired by the likes of Rust, Minecraft and ARK: Survival Evolved.Earlier this week, an unofficial Pokémon mod was revealed for Palworld but footage was quickly taken down due to a Nintendo copyright strike.

Palworld could be coming to PlayStation soon, per a post on X (formerly Twitter) from PlayStation head of indies Shuhei Yoshida.Yoshida replied to a post which asked for the team to “support SIE [Sony Interactive Entertainment] so that the PS5 version can be released as soon as possible”.Yoshida tagged the development partner at PlayStation in the reply, writing “Yes”.Previously, the community manager of Palworld posted that the title “won’t be on PlayStation” and will only be available on “Xbox and Steam“. However, on January 21 the community manager posted on X to state that Palworld may still come to PlayStation.“The above post said Palworld may release on PS4, PS5, Xbox or PC.

Palworld has sold five million copies in three days, despite increasing concern over potential AI use in the game.The title launched in early access on January 19, and since then, it has shot up in Steam charts to the point it had more concurrent players than games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Call Of Duty.Those users don’t include the number of players who are playing the game through the Xbox Game Pass release, and neither do the five million copies sold, meaning that the actual total number of people who have downloaded the game and played it could be much higher.The conversation around Palworld, however, isn’t focused on sales. It’s instead focused on similarities that beasts in the game have to popular Pokemon characters, and the fact that the company openly released a title in early access last year named AI: Art Imposter which uses artificial intelligence in gameplay to generate images.Several posts have circulated on X (formerly Twitter) showing similarities between Pokemon creatures and Palworld creatures, with previous comments from the CEO of Pocketpair discussing AI art, and specifically how to use AI art in order to create new Pokemon, leading people to wonder if the game used the technique at all.There’s currently no confirmation as to whether or not there’s any credibility behind these claims, however.

Elden Ring‘s DLC is closer than previously thought.The DLC section of Elden Ring on SteamDB hasn’t been updated for over a year, with the last update being the “Elden Ring Adventure Guide”. At the time of writing this article (January 16), however, a new entry simply named “SteamDB Unknown App 2778580” was updated seven hours ago, suggesting a release date for the already-announced expansion Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree could be coming soon, perhaps in tandem with the fast approaching second anniversary of the original game on February 25.This would line up with a leak in December 2023 that suggested the expansion could be released in February 2024, with retailer DataBlitz briefly uploading a page for Elden Ring-themed controllers planned to release in February to “sync with new ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ expansion release”, along with stating a second wave of controllers would be released in 2025 to celebrate a “major keybeat or new game expansion”.Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree was first revealed in February 2023, mere days after the first anniversary of the initial game’s release.

Alex Jones: NWO Wars, a side-scrolling shooter from the controversial conspiracy theorist.Released earlier this month, Alex Jones: NWO Wars sees players take control of the outspoken Infowars host and set out to defeat “big tech cucks and other anti-American communist bosses” while saving children from “NWO reptiles”. Donald Trump and other figures also appear.“They are turning the friggin frogs gay! Only Alex Jones can stop this madness and restore balance in the Brain Force,” continues the game’s official website.It may sound like a parody, but the Steam description claims the game is official, while Alex Jones’ Twitter account has also promoted the release.

The Day Before, one of the most controversial games of 2023, now has modders working to put together an offline mode for the game.Before launch, The Day Before was Steam’s most wish-listed game up until launch. The game itself was launched in December 2023, to extremely negative reviews.

Diablo 4 is sitting at a “mixed” rating from player reviews on Steam following its launch on October 17.Blizzard Entertainment previously announced the game would arrive on Steam at the same time as the Season Of Blood, the second season for the game since its release in June.Season Of Blood added a new narrative chapter through the onslaught of a vampiric invasion of Sanctuary, and it is also the vehicle with which the developer will optimise Diablo 4 in a “five-point strategy”.Yet, it appeared that Steam players were not that impressed with the improved Diablo 4. Of the almost 500 player reviews that have been submitted, over half of them are negative, leading to an overall “mixed” rating for the game.Issues in the end game experience were a common theme in these reviews, as well as criticism of microtransactions and the offerings in the game’s battle pass.Others used their reviews as an opportunity to petition for a Diablo 2 Resurrected release on Steam as it is exclusive to Battle.net for PC players.In documents from the lawsuit between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission, it was concluded exclusivity to Battle.net actually acts as a detriment to the number of monthly active users in the game.Positive Steam reviews of Diablo 4 conceded that the game is entertaining but there are a number of missteps like the complexity of the game.“If you want a new ‘turn your brain off and blow up demons’ game, it’s already in a really good state for that.

Valve has been in contact with several game developers who were hit by hackers who used a vulnerability to hide malware in their games on Steam.The hackers’ intention was to play the malware off as an update to the installed game on players’ PCs, then infecting them when the “new build” was downloaded.Fortunately, less than 100 players had these compromised games installed on their systems and they were also contacted by Valve to notify them of the security breach.Wondering why Steam devs will have to confirm via SMS before publishing new game versions or adding users? (https://t.co/EIyLHyA02N….) Looks like it's related to hackers taking over Steam dev accounts & adding malware to game builds. (Screenshot via @SteamDB from Sept.

Scottish Games Sale on Steam will fundraise for Glasgow Children’s Hospital and support children who have long stays with game consoles, board games and adapted gaming equipment.From September 8 to September 14, an assortment of games from Scottish studios will be spotlighted by the sale. “Scotland is known for its rugged landscapes, warm people and vivid storytelling, and there’s no better place to see these things flourish than in the Scottish Games Industry,” said Steam.Proceeds will go to the Games For The Weans campaign and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital charity encouraged supporters to donate what they can to the funds for games for young patients.As the biggest children’s hospital in the country, health professionals treat and care for 500 children every day.

Ironmace, the developer of the dungeon crawler Dark and Darker, has said that it intends to rectify the game’s omission from Steam as soon as it can.In a statement to PC Gamer, CEO Terence Park responded to the question of Dark And Darker‘s potential return to Valve‘s digital distribution platform. “We cannot ignore the largest PC storefront in the world,” he replied.Nexon levied a lawsuit against the developer in April, alleging that the game is “using materials and assets they worked on during their time” at the publisher.

Skybound Entertainment, centring on the Invincible heroine as she navigates the potential of her powers.A visual novel with turn based combat encounters, developer Terrible Posture Games and publisher Skybound Games worked with artist Rossi Gifford to create an experience that “feels like a comic book come to life.”Players will look forward to “dramatic choices” that determine the storyline, and “choosing how to develop Eve’s skills can increase her power, unlock special combat skills for use in vivid comic-book-style combat, or unlock unique dialogue options to further play your story, your way.”“I love this game for its fresh spin on the original comic’s artwork and style,” said Robert Kirkman, Skybound Entertainment’s chairman and chief creative officer. “Terrible Posture Games, Jill Murray, and Rossi Gifford do an incredible job of bringing 20 years of Invincible to new life.”Murray, who is credited on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Boyfriend Dungeon and more, lent her talents to weave a new story for Eve beyond the events of the comic book and animated TV show.“Atom Eve’s complexity, creativity, and wry sense of humour make her such a joy to build a game around.

Blizzard Entertainment revealed that Overwatch 2 is on its way to Steam as the first of a selection of its games that will leap over to the platform.Originally, Overwatch 2 was only available for PC through Blizzard’s own digital distribution service, Battle.net. “As we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too – gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago,” read a press release on the announcement.In order to “break down barriers” for new and veteran Overwatch 2 players, the hero shooter will launch on Steam on August 10.

Iron Gate has clarified its stance on Valheim mods, saying that it doesn’t condone locking modded content behind a paywall.In a recent Steam news post, the developer explained that it had been getting many questions about mods recently and wanted to clarify its stance for players (via PCGamer).“First of all, while we don’t have any official mod support, we are definitely happy to see that people are engaging with our game and creating their own mods for it,” Iron Gate said.The developer went on to say that those who create and use mods are “done at your own risk” and that it can’t guarantee that mods will be compatible with future versions of the game.The post then moved into the topic of paid mods, with Iron Gate explaining that although it understands that modders spend a lot of time creating them and might want financial compensation, it doesn’t condone paid mods. It asks users to instead show support by donating instead.“Iron Gate does not condone locking modded content behind a paywall,” the post reads.

Steam demos, discounts and announcements from the likes of Sega, Auroch Digital and Abbey Games.TactiCon 2023 will kick off with a showcase at 6:30PM next Thursday (May 11), with the event set to run until May 16.Ahead of the showcase, publisher Hooded Horse has shared that “plenty of exciting new announcements and demos” will be featured, including Endless Dungeon — a tactical roguelike from Humankind developer Amplitude, which is set to be published by Sega on October 19.Meanwhile, Reus developer Abbey Games will also be making an appearance to reveal its next project.Auroch Digital’s Mars Horizon 2: The Search For Life will also feature in the showcase, following the sci-fi management game’s announcement in March.Fans can also expect an announcement for Shogun Showdown, which is set to launch this year, along with new gameplay footage for Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, Jumplight Odyssey, and “many more” games.In a trailer for Tacticon 2023, organisers have promised “over 100” strategy games will be involved in the convention — check it out below.Following the showcase, a number of panels, discussions and talks will be held to discuss the strategy genre.

Dark And Darker developer Ironmace has reportedly sent a letter to Valve, asking the company to return the game to Steam amid a lawsuit alleging theft.Over the last few months, MapleStory publisher Nexon has alleged that Ironmace’s multiplayer fantasy game Dark And Darker was created by former Nexon employees with stolen code and materials.While the allegations led to developer Ironmace’s offices being raided by Korean authorities, a DMCA takedown filed by Nexon also resulted in Dark And Darker being removed from Steam last month.As reported by Gamesradar, Greenberg Glusker lawyer Aaron Moss has since issued a letter to Valve asking it to let Dark And Darker return to Steam.Moss alleged that Nexon’s DMCA was “based on claims that are entirely without merit and contains knowing and material misrepresentations that Dark and Darker infringed Nexon’s copyright interests”.Moss went on to label Nexon’s actions as “nothing more than anti-competitive bully tactics designed to put a small indie game studio out of business”.“At best, Nexon has taken a handful of unprotectable elements and cobbled them together to form the illusion of a copyright infringement claim,” wrote Moss. “This case comes down to the fact that Nexon does not want any of its former employees to work at an indie studio developing a fantasy-themed extraction game.

Among Us VR will be released for Meta Quest, Rift and Steam on November 10, it has been announced.Among Us in virtual reality will feature the same tasks, emergency meetings and venting as in the original game, in an immersive 360 degrees. The trailer for Among Us VR, which has been developed by Schell Games in collaboration with Innersloth and Robot Teddy, has been released on the Meta Quest YouTube channel, and showcases the chaotic nature of a typical Among Us game.The 3D bean-shaped characters have a helpful nameplate hovering above their heads for easily identifiable purposes, and new for the VR version are several minigames.As crewmates run from task to task attempting to fix the ship, one or more imposters will be deliberately sabotaging their events as well as even murdering crewmates along the way. Among Us VR will launch with voice and quick text chat and online play, and is suitable for between four and ten players.

Humankind’s first expansion getting a November release date, the game can be played for free this weekend.Humankind, the historical strategy game from developer Amplitude Studios, is available to play for free on Steam now, and will remain so until Monday, October 10. And if you want to keep playing after that, the game is currently available for 50 per cent off as part of the Sega Megamix Sale.This free weekend comes in celebration of the game’s first expansion, Together We Rule, getting a release date of November 9.

Logitech is gearing up to release its new handheld gaming device, G Cloud, which has native GeForce Now support.GeForce Now is the cloud-based game streaming service from Nvidia which delivers real-time gameplay from the cloud to gaming devices such as PCs, iPads and Android devices, and now the G Cloud will be supported from launch.The G Cloud is Logitech’s Android-powered handheld gaming console, and alongside the compatibility with GeForce Now, other cloud-based gaming services are supported such as Steam Link and Xbox Cloud Gaming.The console features a 7-inch touchscreen, more than 12 hours of battery life, haptic feedback and remappable controls. It also has an integral gyroscope, meaning players can twist and turn the console to control compatible games.The G Cloud can also download remote play apps and stream video, as well as link up with local games on an Xbox console via the Xbox app.Ujesh Desai, the vice president and general manager of Logitech Gaming, said that the company wanted to challenge itself to “build a device that was perfectly optimised for cloud gaming,” which meant including precision controls “similar to a high-end Xbox controller” as well as a large screen, good battery life and “a lightweight design so players can enjoy long gaming sessions, without any compromise.”Alongside the release of the G Cloud, GeForce Now is adding Portal with RTX to its supported catalogue in November, which will be free for Portal owners.