#49 Weekly Gaming News Industry Trends Round Up

Off The Grid drops early access via PS5 and Epic Games Store. Shardbound launches open beta via Steam. Most popular blockchain games of September revealed. Ubisoft’s hardcore Champions Tactics launching 23rd October. Ronin gaming network adopts Chainlink protocol to increase security on Ethereum bridge. Xbox will soon let players stream all their games, not just those on Game Pass. Steam will now warn customers at checkout that they're only buying a digital license to a game. Turkey and Russia have blocked Discord, leaving gamers to seek an alternative. Nexon CEO thinks that user feedback is more important than data in game development. Many of 2024's biggest games don't play well (or at all) on Steam Deck. Porsche joins streaming series and interactive game Lollipop Racing with new features. Tokyo Game Show stakes a claim for Japan on the global stage, plus much more!

Also in our weekly round-up:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 pre-load details revealed, 102 GB SSD needed

• Sports gamers deserve better as EA FC, Madden, and NBA 2K are criticized for recycled content

• Microsoft has finally managed to settle against 10 gamers in court

• Riot games lays off more staff, making it the second round of layoffs this year

• Opening up Google Play offers publishers a three-year window to change mobile gaming

• Leak: AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D chips aren't looking like a leap forward

Gaming News 🕹️

• Xbox to make games playable and purchasable via Android app in November

• Try "hundreds of amazing demos of games that haven't even released yet" in Steam Next Fest

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 pre-load details revealed, 102 GB SSD needed

• Tomb Raider franchise sells over 100 million units, comes with remaster announcement

• Metaphor: ReFantazio surpasses 1m sales on launch day to become fastest-selling Atlus game

• Forza Motorsport celebrates its first anniversary with stats, drifts, and Mustangs

• Prime Gaming has dozens of free games for subscribers this month

• Grand Theft Auto V looks mind-blowing with photorealism mods in new 8K video

• XDefiant may be on verge of shutdown new leak claims

• New Escape from Tarkov event wants you to hunt at night

• Concord continues to get updates on Steam

• Tetris Forever 14-game collection also includes brand-new Tetris Time Warp

• Fortnite's Halloween update adds Disney villains, Edward Scissorhands, and chainsaws

• Overwatch mobile is in development at Blizzard

• Mario & Luigi's new game feels fun and familiar, but maybe a little formulaic

• Starfield developer says Bethesda still focused on fan concerns, despite believing its "the best game" they've ever made

• NetEase Games announces Destiny: Rising for iOS, Android

• Payday 3 developer likens launch to being a rock band when "the whole stage" collapses and everyone leaves

• Former Blizzard boss' new studio reveals debut tabletop-inspired game  Sunderfolk announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC

Web3 Games 🎯

• Aethir Catalyst will invest $100M in AI and gaming startups using decentralized GPUs

• Blockchain game investment list – Dragonz Lab raises $9 million

• Shardbound launches open beta via Epic Games and Steam

• Most popular blockchain games – September 2024 list

• Base L3 XProtocol launches Telegram game Smash Quest ahead of phone launch

• Ubisoft’s hardcore Champions Tactics launching 23rd October

• Seekers Alliance and Simemes among Movement Labs’ $2 million winners

• Ronin gaming network adopts Chainlink protocol to increase security on Ethereum bridge

• Off The Grid drops early access via PS5 and Epic Games Store

• Ready Player One-Inspired 'The Readyverse' launches generative AI building tools

• Guild of Guardians to release Frostmire expansion on Ethereum

• Decentraland to launch desktop client with major enhancements

• GR1D network brings Web3 gaming credits to Amazon

• Movement Labs unveils finalists for Web3 hackathon with $2M in prizes

Trends 📈

• Turkey and Russia have blocked Discord, leaving gamers to seek an alternative

• Sports gamers deserve better as EA FC, Madden, and NBA 2K are criticized for recycled content

• Many of 2024's biggest games don't play well (or at all) on Steam Deck

• Nexon CEO thinks that user feedback is more important than data in game development

• Xbox will soon let players stream all their games, not just those on Game Pass

• Steam will now warn customers at checkout that they're only buying a digital license to a game

• Playtesting for mysterious Nintendo Switch software fills up in seconds after announcement

• Players are now less "accepting" that games will be fixed, say Paradox after underestimating the reaction to Cities: Skylines 2's performance woes

• Activision releases report on anti-toxicity tools for Call of Duty; 45M text messages blocked

• PlanetPlay and the UN create Play2Act initiative to poll gamers about climate change

• Porsche joins streaming series and interactive game Lollipop Racing with new features

• Sony developers share how machine learning can improve QA processes

• The future is handheld — so where do Xbox and PlayStation go next?

Industry News 🛡️

• US video game hardware sales fell drastically in August 2024

• Microsoft has finally managed to settle against 10 gamers in court

• The voice actors' strike shows its claws 

• Riot games lays off more staff, making it the second round of layoffs this year

• Tokyo Game Show stakes a claim for Japan on the global stage

• The true cost of game piracy: 20 percent of revenue, according to a new study

• NaturalMotion facing potential layoffs in the US and UK

• Experts say Google Play opening up in the US will have minimal impact

• Video game sales jump 20% in Europe during September | European Monthly Report

• Corsair and Activision partner on multi-year Call of Duty collaboration agreement

• Activision Blizzard agrees to $18 million settlement over sexual harassment lawsuit

• Bandai Namco is cutting its workforce and cancelling several titles

• Accel-backed Jetapult invests $4.5M in Saudi Arabian game studio UMX

• Rare's Craig Duncan to become head of Xbox Game Studios as Alan Hartman retires

• Opening up Google Play offers publishers a three-year window to change mobile gaming

Level Up Your Hardware 🎧

• The Steam Deck is finally hitting Australia in November announcement

• Thrustmaster brings direct drive steering wheels to console racing sims

• Experience the best of Xbox — without an Xbox — with this $80 starter kit

• Leak: AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D chips aren't looking like a leap forward

• Nvidia to launch three RTX 50 series graphics cards at CES 2025

• Astro A50 wireless headset review: Gen 5 sounds better than ever

• Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex review: insanely fast esports mouse for pro players

Esports Players & Teams News 🏆

• 'The COD thing is kind of chalked': FormaL walks back Call of Duty return

• Faker has just won his 100th match at League Worlds event

• OpTic Dynasty proves it still has the gunny in OpTic Legacy Black Ops II tournament

• T1 announces full 2025 Valorant roster for next season

• Valorant spotlight series EMEA 2024 schedule and format released

• FIFA picks Konami as new esports partner after EA split

• Nickmercs tries his first Apex Legends eSports tournament experience

• Apex Legends pro imperialhal wants the Kraber removed from competitive play

Guides, Tips and Tricks 🗝️

• The best accessories to wear in Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom accessory guide here

• Destiny 2 Ice Breaker guide: how to get the new solar sniper rifle

• How to unlock all Gohan Branching Paths in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero

• Metaphor: ReFantazio – how to restore and manage MP to explore dungeons for longer

• 13 beginner's tips to know before starting Metaphor: ReFantazio helpful tricks here

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