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Ahead of one of the biggest Civilization 7 updates so far, developer Firaxis has unveiled something pleasantly surprising. With a few major new features in the works, it's inviting community members in to test them and shape their development in an attempt to avoid disappointment, dodge balance issues, and deliver exactly what players want. Dubbed the Firaxis Feature Workshop, the struggling strategy game's new initiative gives you a say in what future updates and systems look like - and that includes the biggest of them all, the return to single civ matches. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The next Civilization 7 update aims to deliver "more strategy, less ambiguity" with a total overhaul to naval combat Civilization 7 update takes strides towards restoring the struggling 4X to glory The next Civilization 7 update tackles "analysis paralysis" with menu reworks View the full article

If you can find a good gaming RAM deal right now, grab it. That's because prices are rapidly on the rise, thanks to demand from AI data centers putting a huge strain on DDR memory supply. We've already seen prices more than double in just a month, and there's no strong sign yet that they've plateaued. While you could wait for one of the no doubt many ****** Friday deals that will appear in the coming weeks, there's absolutely no guarantee they'll beat today's prices. We also can't guarantee that prices for the best gaming RAM will stay as high as they are already or that they'll continue to rise, but until the AI bubble bursts or RAM production ramps up - the benefits of which would likely take months to come to fruition - this is the new reality for now. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: This 180Hz, 1440p Asus gaming monitor was a premium buy until it got slapped with this huge $110 discount Shockingly, Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4060 just lost its top gaming GPU spot on Steam Best Fortnite settings for optimized PC performance View the full article

What's the most expensive videogame cosmetic you've ever bought? If you're answer is 'none,' then that's probably a good thing. For me, it was the Valorant Go! Volume One skin collection back in 2021, which cost me far more than I'm willing to admit in writing. For some people, splashing the cash on their favorite game is a no-brainer, while for others, it's unthinkable. That's why, when Blizzard added the Brutosaur to World of Warcraft, the MMO's fanbase cracked down the middle, as if struck by a very large sword. While it's an awesome cosmetic in its own right, the price point was about as high as the meandering dinosaur's head, and a lot of people really didn't like that. But new datamines hint that the colossal creature could be coming back, although perhaps not in the same form. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The best WoW addons November 2025 Blizzard throws World of Warcraft healers and tanks a bone as Midnight's UI falls short World of Warcraft Midnight just removed a huge part of the healer kit as Blizzard tries to make combat less "stressful" View the full article

Most players won't have a choice but to fight Montelli in The Outer Worlds 2, but there is a way to spare himView the full article

We didn't see this one coming. CATAN, the self-proclaimed "world's most successful modern board game" is now a partner of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team, currently placed number six in the NBA's Western Conference. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Modern board game maestro Cole Wehrle on getting mad, metaphor in game design, and future projects that are "Big with a capital B" Tactical diplomacy is king in this Star Trek inspired alternative to Warhammer 40k Hold onto hope in this Dystopian Christmas solo board game View the full article

Houser was the lead writer for both John Marston and Arthur Morgan's misadventuresView the full article

The director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has ordered a reexamination of Nintendo's controversial 'summon character and let it fight' Pokémon patent after it was heavily criticized by IP lawyers. In September, IP lawyers criticized the U.S. patent system and the USPTO after Nintendo was awarded a Pokémon patent that revolves around summoning a character and letting it fight. Games Fray reported that Patent No. 12,403,397, dubbed the '397 patent, was granted by the USPTO "without any objection” to Nintendo, which is embroiled in ongoing litigation with Pocketpair's Palworld. While the patent sums up how Pokémon games work in that you summon Pokémon to battle other Pokémon in the hope of adding them to your collection, there are countless other games that use similar mechanics, such as Persona, Digimon, and even Elden Ring, depending upon how the patent is interpreted. At the time, IP expert Florian Mueller took to social media to say Nintendo “should never” have received a "summon character and let it fight" patent in the first place, while video game patent lawyer Kirk Sigmon told PC Gamer "these claims were in no way allowable." Now, Games Fray has reported that Donald Trump nominee John A. Squires, who only became director of the USPTO in September, has personally ordered a reexamination after he "determined that substantial new questions of patentability have arisen" to certain claims made by the patent. Here's Squires' description of the claims in question: "The '397 patent issued with claims drawn to controlling the movement of a player character in a field of a virtual space, causing a sub character to appear in the field, controlling a battle in a manual mode when an enemy character is present in the location the sub character has appeared, and when an enemy character is not present in the location the sub character has appeared, automatically moving the sub character, and controlling a battle in an automatic mode when an enemy character is placed at a designated location." In his order, Squires pointed to two older U.S. patent applications — one filed by Konami in 2002, the other by Nintendo itself in 2019 — as “prior art” references. Both, Squires said, would be “important in deciding whether the claims are patentable,” and each “raises a substantial new question of patentability.” Mueller, writing for Games Fray, said Squires' order was down to the “public outrage” at the award of the patent, and concerns about the reputation of the U.S. patent system as a whole. While this reexamination isn’t a revocation order, Mueller insisted it is now “highly likely” that the USPTO will revoke Nintendo’s ‘397 patent. Nintendo has two months to respond. What does this mean for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s high-profile legal battle with Pocketpair over Palworld? Mueller said it “further undermines the credibility” of Nintendo’s patent assertions against Pocketpair's game. This is the latest legal blow for Nintendo in its battle against Palworld. Last month, one of the Nintendo patents related to its monster capture patents filed last year was rejected by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for lacking originality. The office’s reasoning for the rejection made reference to older games with similar mechanics that were released even before 2021, including ARK (released in 2015), Monster Hunter 4 (2013), and Japanese browser game Kantai Collection (also 2013). Ironically, Pocketpair’s Craftopia (2020) and Niantic’s Pokémon Go (2016) were among other examples of games that were used to argue that the patent lacks originality. The case involves three main patents granted by the JPO: two related to monster capture and release, and one related to riding characters. All three patents were filed in 2024, after Palworld came out. However, they are actually derived from earlier Nintendo patents dating from 2021. In other words, it seems that once Palworld came on the scene, Nintendo filed divisional patents that were geared to fight specifically against Palworld’s alleged infringement of the original patents. Since then, Pocketpair has made changes to Palworld’s disputed mechanics. The November 2024 patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pokéball-like Pal Spheres (now Pals just materialize next to you when summoned). In May this year, another Palworld update changed how you can glide in the game — instead of directly grabbing onto Glider Pals, now you just simply use Pal-buffed Glider equipment. The case has rumbled on, with Nintendo even rewriting a mount-related patent mid-lawsuit, and arguing that mods should not count as prior art. So what happens next? Mueller said there may not be any further developments this calendar year relating to Nintendo’s lawsuit against Pocketpair or patents that are related to it. But decisions are expected next year. All eyes will be on Presiding Judge Motoyuki Nakashima, who leads the patent division of the Tokyo District Court. “It is ever more likely that Nintendo will lose,” Mueller said. At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN sat down for an extended conversation with John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Palworld developer Pocketpair. We spoke following his talk at the conference, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop.' During that talk, Buckley went into candid detail about a number of Palworld’s struggles, especially the accusations of it using generative AI (which Pocketpair has since debunked pretty soundly) and stealing Pokemon’s models for its own Pals (a claim that the person who originally made it has since retracted). He even commented a bit on Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit against the studio, saying it “came as a shock” to the studio and was “something that no one even considered.” Last month, former Capcom game developer Yoshiki Okamoto issued comments seemingly against Pocketpair and Palworld in the legal battle, sparking a backlash from viewers. In a YouTube video posted on his channel on September 27, Okamoto said Palworld had "crossed a line that should not be crossed, and I don't want the world to become a place where this kind of thing is acceptable." Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

NetEase’s closed studio, T-Minus Zero Entertainment, is back from the dead. In an announcement, a small group of staff said they’d acquired the T-Minus Zero name and are relaunching as an independent production company “inspired by the independent film world”. The reimagined company will be led by former production director Zachary Beaudoin, whose CV includes BioWare’s Anthem. Read More... View the full article

With a promise of more games coming to it later, the Horror Icons Showcase Humble Bundle has launched with a nice selection already. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Diverse Piece is another Blox Fruits/Verse Piece-inspired open world RPG with tons of customization options for your build. It also brings some unique ideas like elemental interactions and synergies with weapons, abilities, etc. Luckily, there's a well-maintained Diverse Piece Trello and Discord to keep track of everything. Diverse Piece Trello and Discord Guide Image via D8X Here are all the useful links you'll need to stay tuned to Diverse Piece: Diverse Piece Trello BoardDiverse Piece Discord ServerDiverse Piece Game PageDP Roblox Community The Trello is the best place to start to get an overview of every island, weapon/ability locations and more. I like to have it in the background to check the locations of items I want to find for my build. It's got info on: All TitlesAll mechanics like elemental interactionsAll IslandsAll QuestsAll NPCsAll Bosses and MobsAll SwordsAll Combat & AbilitiesAll FruitAll Materials and Accessories Once you're done with the Wiki-like overview of the Trello, you can jump into the Discord for more specific info. It's the best place to ask Testers and experienced players for builds or tier lists and any other specific questions you might have. That said, it's also great for keeping track of announcements, sneak peaks and updates. They have a full channel for patch notes so that you can see all the buffs, nerfs, reworks and new content. This is essential for PVP when you're making a best overall bounty loadout. They also have a channel for giveaways so that you can score free rewards in addition to the codes. Keep track of these since they go a long way when it comes to grinding PVE. That's it for my guide on the Diverse Piece Trello board and Discord server. Check out our Diverse Piece codes for free goodies. The post Diverse Piece Trello and Discord Links appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

BF6 and Redsec do appear to have skill based matchmaking, according to a comment made to CharlieIntelView the full article

While NINJA GAIDEN 4 is Steam Deck Verified, it turns out on Desktop Linux it has some big problems that Valve have hopefully solved now. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

The next chapter of Fortnite could be set in Hollywood, according to a teaser video sent to creators. Numerous Fortnite creators have posted on social media that they have received a teaser video from Epic Games which drops hints about the game’s seventh season. The teaser simply shows text which reads: “Signal origin – 34.134117 N, 118.321495 W. Now playing, Zero Hour, Chapter Seven, Fortnite After Dark with Q & U. Early access. One night only. 11.19.25.” Read More... View the full article

Market Correction is one of many "search and find" missions you get from Tian Wen in ARC Raiders, and it can become a bit of a headspinner. In the Market Correction quest, you're tasked with locating a cache and sabotaging it to finish the job. This guide will lay out all the essential steps to complete this quest and get your deserved rewards. Table of contentsARC Raiders Market Correction quest walkthroughARC Raiders Keeping the Memory quest rewardsARC Raiders Market Correction quest walkthrough The Maket Correction quest will require us to travel to the Outskirts region in Buried City. To be more precise, you'll need to reach the Marano Station, which is located in the western part of the Buried City. I have marked the location to make it easier for you to find the correct place on the map. Screenshot and Remix by Destructoid Incidentally, the "cache" in this mission isn't actually a cache like the ones we found in the Marked for Death quest. Instead, it's a pair of dustbins that you have to find and sabotage. The dustbins are located in the northern part of Marano Station. If you're at the marked location, you'll find a bunker-type structure. Go to its back, and you'll find the dustbins. Once you interact with them, wait for a few seconds for the quest to update. Once the quest updates, interact with the bins one more time to complete the sabotage. This will complete the quests, and you'll get your rewards from Tian Wen. ARC Raiders Keeping the Memory quest rewards The Keeping the Memory quest grants you the following rewards. Silencer IIExtended Light Mag ICompensator I It's a neat set of rewards for the amount of work that needs to be done. If you're looking to complete more quests, both Medical Merchandise and Straight Record are excellent options. The post How to complete Market Correction quest in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The first set of leaks for the UEFA ********** promo for FC 26 has arrived on social media after EA Sports dropped an official teaser for the upcoming campaign. While the ********** promo will be a new addition to Ultimate Team, it looks and feels similar to the Road to the Knockouts cards (RTTK) from the past. Let's look at all the leaks that have surfaced on social media as of writing, along with when the new cards will be available in Ultimate Team. Table of contentsAll FC 26 ********** players (leaks)FC 26 ********** promo release countdownAll FC 26 ********** players (leaks) The ********** promo will feature special cards of both active footballers and Heroese. Here's a list of the leaked cards. Danielle De RossiMichel SalgadoEden Hazard I am sure that we will be getting more leaks as we venture closer to the release date. Most of the new cards will be added to packs, but getting them will be a matter of luck. However, we should also get additional items as part of SBCs and objectives, and they won't have any element of luck. FC 26 ********** promo release countdown The ********** promo is going to be the next promo after Ultimate Scream, which officially brings an end to the Halloween-themed content inside the game. The following countdown will expire once the promo is live in Ultimate Team on Friday, Nov. 7. [hurrytimer id="1137075"] As usual, EA Sports will be following the standard schedule that it applies to every promo. The countdown is based on the following timings. 10am PT12pm CT1pm ET6pm BT7pm CET The cards will be available in any pack that offers a Rare Gold player when you open them. You can try your luck with the store packs or open any that you have saved in your inventory. That said, it's always advisable to go for the SBCs and objectives if your aim is to get a guaranteed promo card. The post All FC 26 UEFA ********** players (leaks) and release countdown appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Tragedy recently struck a hardcore The Sims 4 fan, who took to the web to lament the loss of her multi-generation in-game family. This would hardly be the first time that a Sims 4 player has suffered a major loss at the hands of technical difficulties, as the long-running life simulation project has crossed paths with countless bugs and performance issues over the course of its decade-plus on the market. View the full article

Obsidian details the Pillars of Eternity turn-based combat mode public beta ahead of its launch later this week. View the full article

In ARC Raiders, the gun shop trader, Tian Wen, offers a quest called "Market Correction," in which you're asked to investigate a nefarious cache in the Buried City. Much like the "Straight Record" quest, you're given very vague instructions, and it can be easy to miss the objective. View the full article

Last year, a team of software and aerospace engineers took Doom porting to the next level, getting the game to run on a satellite orbiting Earth. It took some out-of-the-box thinking and tweaking, but they eventually got it playing (without graphics). Of course, since "pics or it didn't happen" applies,... Read Entire Article View the full article

The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny features 1240p and 60fps in addition to improved effects and more. View the full article

Amazon's massively multiplayer online game New World: Aeternum will receive its final content update, with its future unsure beyond 2026. View the full article

The first U.S. show of the Persona Music Experience series will take place in California on January 24, 2026. View the full article

"The chill solo community gives me big Sea of Thieves vibes"View the full article

The Buried City Hospital Key allows you to access a high-tier loot area in ARC Raiders, and finding it can be a gruelling test. Like all non-quest keys inside the game, you'll be mainly relying on your luck. However, you'll still have to look at the correct places to raise your chances of success. This guide will help you discover the quest and also state where you can use the key. Table of contentsHow to get the Buried City Hospital key in ARC RaidersWhere to use Buried City Hospital key in ARC RaidersHow to get the Buried City Hospital key in ARC Raiders The best place to look for the Hospital Key is the residential areas in Dam Battlegrounds. A couple of my friends managed to get the key from Ruby Residence, which is located in the western part of the map. I have marked its location on the screenshot below to help you find the place. Screenshot and Remix by Destructoid I managed to get the key from the Research and Administration building on the slightly eastern part of the map. There's a loot area on the second floor that spawns random keys. If you're lucky, you might end up with a Hospital key from the location. This particular spot is also great for finding keys that unlock other locations, like the Blue Gate Village and the Cellar locations. Where to use Buried City Hospital key in ARC Raiders The Hospital is located in the northwestern part of the Buried City map. You'll first want to get to the third floor using the stairs. Take the path that goes left, move past the first door, and you'll get the room on your left (don't take the immediate left). Screenshot and Remix by Destructoid You can use the key to unlock the door and obtain all the available loot. A note of caution: the Hospital is a high-tier loot area, so you can always expect to find trouble at this location. It's better to remove the enemies first before proceeding to loot the location. This area is also part of the Medical Merchandise quest, so finding the key is pretty essential if you're aiming to move forward with completing the vital mission and getting more rewards in the process. The post Buried City Hospital Key location in ARC Raiders appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

"Straight Record" is a quest in ARC Raiders that sends you to the Dam Battlegrounds, but the directions given by Celeste aren't very specific. The quest is ultimately rather straightforward, but actually finding where to go can be difficult. View the full article