Steam

Former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith has offered his thoughts on the divisive Starfield, insisting if it has been released by any other studio “it would have been received differently.” Speaking to FRVR, the former Starfield systems designer admitted that the sci-fi RPG is “not in the same calibre” as Bethesda’s much-loved The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, but insisted it was still “a great game.” “I think it’s a good game,” Nesmith, who left Bethesda around a year before Starfield came out, said. “I don’t think it’s in the same calibre as the other two, you know, Fallout or Skyrim, or Elder Scrolls rather, but I think it’s a good game. I worked on it, I’m proud of the work I did. I’m proud of the work that the people I knew did on it. I think they made a great game.” When “the studio that gave you Skyrim and Fallout makes a space game,” Nesmith said, there are certain “expectations,” and these weren’t met. “If the same game had been released by not Bethesda, it would have been received differently,” Nesmith insisted. Starfield launched in September 2023 as Bethesda’s first brand new IP in 25 years, but it was not as well received as the studio’s previous games in the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls franchises, and the Shattered Space expansion, released a year later in September 2024, has a ‘mostly negative’ user review rating on Steam. Starfield went on to reach 15 million players, but the question of whether Bethesda might walk away from the game to focus on its other franchises has been a running theme since release. In June 2024, Bethesda insisted it remained committed to supporting Starfield, and confirmed at least one other story expansion would come out following Shattered Space. And in an interview with YouTube channel MrMattyPlays, Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard said the developer was aiming to release an annual story expansion for “hopefully a very long time.” That, obviously, hasn't happened. In August, it was reported that Starfield's second expansion and much-anticipated PlayStation 5 port would now arrive in 2026, following the poor reception to Shattered Space. So, what went wrong? Nesmith pointed to Starfield’s reliance on procedural generation as a problem, as opposed to the lack of real-time space travel, which he described as “inherently boring.” “But when the planets start to feel very samey and you don’t start to feel the excitement on the planets, that’s to me where it falls apart,” he continued. “I was also disappointed when, pretty much, the only serious enemy you fought were people… there’s lots of cool alien creatures, but they’re like the wolves in Skyrim. They’re just there, they don’t contribute, you don’t have the variety of serious opponents that are story generators.” Bethesda has confirmed plans to improve Starfield space gameplay “to make the travels there more rewarding” after datamined fragments of code suggested the developer had a more streamlined space travel experience in the works. Based on this datamine, while you may be able to travel between planets within the same system, you won’t be able to fly all the way between systems, nor fly directly from a planet's surface into orbit, like No Man's Sky. In a new video discussing his career, veteran Bethesda developer Tim Lamb confirmed that the studio had been working on Starfield’s space gameplay, and that a new DLC story was still coming at some point. “I think as it comes to Starfield, I'm really excited for players to see what the teams have been working on,” he said. “We have some cool stuff coming, including free updates and features the players have been asking for, as well as a new DLC story. “I can't go into all the details just yet, but I will say part of the team has been focused on space gameplay to make the travels there more rewarding. We're also adding some new game systems, and a few other smaller delights. There's also some really interesting stuff coming down the pipe from our verified creators. There's some fun stuff. “I just want to say thanks. We really appreciate the support and the enthusiasm. We can't wait to get it into the hands of our players.” Last month, Bethesda teased new content for Starfield — at least that’s what fans thought after they spotted a hidden message in a social media video released to celebrate the game’s two-year anniversary. 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

Palworld developer and publisher Pocketpair has confirmed it will not be publishing any games that feature NFTs, Web3, or "big AI stuff," revealing the company "doesn't believe" in them. In an interview with Game Developer, John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Pocketpair said: "People are going to say I'm lying, but these are just the hard facts. We don't believe in it. We're very upfront about it. If you're big on AI stuff or your game is Web3 or uses NFTs, there are lots of publishers out there [who'll talk to you], but we're not the right partner for that." "I think over the next two or three years we're going to get into this weird era — and you can see it slowly happening now on Steam — of really low quality, AI-made games," Buckley added. "It's something that has plagued other stores but Steam had been good at keeping them out. But it's happening. This wave is coming, and I think we're going to enter this kind of authenticity market where people are going to slowly say 'no, these guys are really trying to make something special' to fight back." Pocketpair is perhaps more sensitive than most when it comes to accusations about AI, not least because Palworld similarly faced claims it was "AI slop" and used generative AI, something the company vehemently denies and continues to challenge. "You know, I can't just come out and start fighting with these people [who make the AI accusations] because that just fuels what's going on," Buckley explained. "[Regarding the translation accusation], one of their biggest pieces of 'evidence' was that because we hadn't published the individual names of the translators it must be AI. Well, no, this is just poor Japanese culture in general. A lot of Japanese games, the credits will say localization was handled by a company." The use of AI in game development continues to be highly divisive, and for every fan of the emerging tech, you'll find someone fighting against it. Earlier today, we reported that Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto similarly shirked AI, claiming "AI would never be able to make" a sequel like Silent Hill f. Conversely, Dead Space creator Glen Schofield recently unveiled plans to “fix” the industry in part via the use of generative AI in games development, and industry veteran and former Santa Monica Studio director, Meghan Morgan Juinio, said: "I think if we don’t embrace [AI], I think we’re selling ourselves short. AI is a tool, and something that will augment us. At least for right now, that’s how I see it. It’s going to evolve whether you’re onboard with it or not, so I want to be at the forefront of helping to guide how that goes and how we use it." Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney believes small teams will soon be able to use AI prompts to make video games on the scale of Nintendo masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, IGN sat down with Buckley to discuss number of Palworld’s struggles, including Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit against the studio. Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

Working out how to forge the new Festival of Accord: Dreamspell armor will be the main concern for anyone logging in to the new Monster Hunter Wilds Halloween event. Just like previous festivals, there are multiple new sets to grab, but you'll have to acquire the materials to craft them by completing specific event quests... Read more.View the full article

Samsung's Galaxy XR headset has finally been unveiled, and I'm optimistic about its potential for gamers. On the other hand, its cost is still way too high.View the full article

"Just treat it as vampire Dishonored"View the full article

As far as deck-builders go, My Card Is Better Than Your Card! is definitely more on the cute side with you crafting cards from stickers you collect. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Back when the offline mode was announced, the lead said "I never thought it would happen before some sort of ruling from one of the consumer protection agencies"View the full article

Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto has insisted "AI would never be able to make" Silent Hill f, responding to comments made by former Konami developer Hideo Kojima that "remakes and sequels will be made by AI" in years to come. In a new interview, Hideo Kojima cautioned against the industry's preoccupation with remaking or expanding existing franchises, suggesting it was creatively "dangerous" not to explore new things, and suggesting "in the future, remakes and sequels will be made by AI." And it's kicked up quite the discussion on social media. Okamoto disagreed with Kojima's claims, however, saying that while AI could perhaps "put together" a sequel inspired by the Silent Hill universe, Konami's creative "bold choices" — such as to switch the setting to Japan, or employ Ryukishi07 as writer — were made by human developers. In response to a Twitter / X post about Kojima's comments, Okamoto said: "It would be quite difficult for AI to replace works that take a significant departure from the original path of the series, like Silent Hill f. "AI may be able to put together a project for a sequel that takes place in the Silent Hill universe, but things like changing the story’s setting to Japan or getting Ryukishi07 on board as a writer are the kind of bold choices AI would never be able to make,” he added (thanks, Automaton). Silent Hill f is indeed a departure for the series as we know it, taking us not to the titular town but instead to 1960s Japan, where we follow Hinako Shimizu, a teenager struggling under the pressure of expectations from her friends, family, and society. It's out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S and has sold 1 million copies since its debut at the end of September. Our Silent Hill f review returned a 7/10. We said: "Silent Hill f presents a fresh new setting to explore and a fascinatingly dark story to unravel, but its melee-focussed combat takes a big swing that doesn’t quite land." Earlier this week, Okamoto opened up on why Konami revealed three new Silent Hill games at once after a full decade of silence, saying the publisher was keen to stress to old fans and new that it was "serious" about resurrecting the flailing horror series. Reflecting on how the series has performed since Konami's inaugural Silent Hill Transmission back in October 2022, Okamoto explained how the impressive Silent Hill 2 Remake was designed with "half new, half old customers in mind" to ensure it could attract new fans to the franchise. Silent Hill 2 Remake went on to sell 2.5 million worldwide, which pushes sales of the franchise overall to 10 million. Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article

While Battlefield 6 Support, Assault, and Recon classes work together to win matches, some Engineer fans have been caught using their time becoming in-game artists instead of capturing objectives. The days following the launch of EA and Battlefield Studios’ long-awaited sixth numbered entry in the franchise have seen players coming together to share cinematic action movie-like moments they’ve experienced. As jets soar overhead and tanks roll through buildings, it’s the Engineer class that has found perhaps the most creative use of their gadgets. drawing bunnies in battlefield 6 [Hidden Content] — KA demz (@kineticdemi) October 14, 2025 The repair tool has been used to leave drawings for friendly and enemy squads for years, but Battlefield 6 has presented an opportunity for players to revisit the time-honored tradition. The Engineer gadget, which is supposed to be used to repair — or even damage — tanks, helicopters, and other armored vehicles, leaves behind burn marks wherever it’s pointed. In the hands of the right Engineer, the gadget makes for a handy pen for drawing, and Battlefield 6 players aren’t letting that go to waste. Those on the way to capture or hold an objective may notice drawings from those who have found a more artistic way to enjoy Battlefield 6. These range from simple illustrations, such as the iconic “Cool S” or a smiley face, to time-consuming recreations of characters like digital pop star Hatsune Miku and Dragon Ball Z’s Vegeta. "Meanwhile on the Battlefield," one player jokes, "Where are the engineers?" "Cut to a flaming tank," another adds. Are detailed pictures easy to draw? No. Do time-consuming drawings keep Engineers from helping out their team? Probably, but that doesn’t mean others can’t enjoy them, too. Some players are even using the Engineer repair tool’s drawing ability to find new ways to play Battlefield 6 — including striking up a match of tic-tac-toe. Guess he wasn't a good sport byu/Fox_8_ur_chiken inBattlefield .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } BlowTorch Miku byu/ItsAnotherAsian inBattlefield .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } Drawing in BF6 is actually kind of fun. byu/Gohanburner inBattlefield6 .reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; } An Engineer focused on completing their Dragon Ball drawing is an easy target depending on where they choose to leave their work. Funnily enough, though, the artist behind the Vegeta drawing says not every Battlefield 6 player is looking for an easy kill. "What was really cool is that an enemy saw me drawing and decided to let me be," they say, leaving a heart emoticon. "I'm going to go back in today and try something else. I don't know how many marks I get before they start disappearing so that's why I stopped drawing more of the hair but I'll try to go further." While Engineers leave silly drawings for other Battlefield 6 players, some have instead started leaving messages for other classes. Support players have even picked up the repair tool to ask for a bit of patience from players begging to be revived. Battlefield 6 launched October 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S and has enjoyed record-breaking success. Since then, the community has spent time talking about what kind of movement tweaks EA and BF Studios should make going forward. Others are just hoping to see fixes for some of the brighter maps Battlefield 6 has to offer. For more on Battlefield 6, visit IGN's Battlefield 6 guide for a complete list and video of all campaign collectible locations, tips for getting an edge in multiplayer, and more. Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe). View the full article

Remedy Entertainment has announced that CEO Tero Virtala has left his role “with immediate effect”. In a statement to investors, the company explained that Virtala and the board of directors had “mutually agreed that Tero Virtala will step down from his position as the company’s CEO with immediate effect”. Virtala was appointed CEO in August 2016, and will now “continue at the service of the company” during a transition ******* where he will help with the handover of duties to the new CEO. Read More... View the full article

Ahead of the game's release, RPG Site had a chance to sit with game director Brandon Adler and design director Matthew Singh to learn some insight about how the team at Obsidian approached creating a sequel to The Outer Worlds. View the full article

EA and DICE have already been making progression in the FPS easierView the full article

Get ready to say goodbye to those broken buildsView the full article

I really don't have a clue what's going on in Tingus Goose, an upcoming idle / clicker game in the spirit of stuff like Cookie Clicker. It's supremely weird. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

A now-deleted job listing from Ubisoft has seemingly revealed that the upcoming Splinter Cell remake no longer has a game director attached to it. The highly anticipated Splinter Cellremake was announced by Ubisoft all the way back in 2021, but the project appears to be going through numerous development issues, as yet another game director has seemingly departed from Ubisoft. View the full article

Valve have remembered that Steam Labs exists and have a new experiment for us all to try: a personal recommendations calendar for recent and upcoming games. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

While you won't be able to find Ralts in a Wild Zone, players can consistently catch it another way. View the full article

Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2's core gameplay revolves around its main campaign, and there's a fair amount of missions to complete. Most of your time will be spent completing the main chapters. Based on a gritty tale, you'll be able to meet new characters, master abilities, and more. This guide will provide you with the details of all the main campaign missions and what you can expect on the side. Disclaimer: The list is a work in progress. We will add side missions as we come across them. Most of your early game will revolve around clearing the main story missions. Table of contentsComplete Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 main quest listHow long to beat Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2Complete Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 main quest list The main quest of Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is split into 21 different chapters. Here's the complete list, based on the order of their appearance. The ********** GirlThe Fires of IndustryIn Chains of Lead and GoldProve YourselfIn MemoriamTo Founder on the LetheA Work of Holy InnocentsBlood Sisters - The Night OutKeep the PeaceThe Prince of SeattleWe Don't Do Ghost StoriesChewing the ****The Pathway of HesperidesAs Above, So BelowThe MotherThe Streets IncarnadineService, Pride, and DedicationIn Fingertips of RoseThe Coursing of the RatsA Kiss from ProsperoSeattle's New NormalHow long to beat Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 The exact time taken to complete the game will largely depend on your chosen difficulty. However, a typical run should take between 20 and 25 hours, according to developers. However, this timeline is applicable for those who would focus solely on the main campaign and won't take part in the side activities. If you want to complete side missions at medium difficulty, it should take you between 35 and 40 hours to complete the game. This also means that the potential time required for a completionist save is higher than that of Bloodlines 1. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post All main and side quests in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The songs include the original versions of Burn My Dread -Last Battle-, Mass Destruction, and more for use in dungeons and battles. View the full article

Our guide covers how to unlock everything in the Monster Hunter Wilds Festival of Accord Dreamspell Seasonal Event including how to get tickets, Dreamspell Catalog, and more. View the full article

A new extraction shooter called Escape from Duckov, partially inspired by Escape from Tarkov, has taken over Steam's charts, quickly becoming one of the platform's most-played titles. The genre has grown in popularity in recent years but remains relatively niche, making Escape from Duckov's massive player base an uncommon feat. View the full article

Глобальной стратегии Victoria 3 скоро исполнится три года, и в преддверии памятной даты издатель Paradox Interactive и разработчики из Paradox Development Studio решили поделиться занимательной статистикой игроков.View the full article

Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is now available worldwide on PC and consoles, and there are different controls to master. If you're playing on PC, you can either use your mouse and keyboard or opt for a controller. If you're on a console, your hands are tied to the default controller. This guide will list all the applicable controls so you can memorize them and get ahead with your adventures in Seattle. Table of contentsAll PC controls in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2All controller keybindings in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2How to change controls in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2All PC controls in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 The table below has information on every bit of control that applies to your PC if you're playing Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 with a keyboard and a mouse. ControlInputMove ForwardWMove BackwardsSMove LeftAMove RightDJumo/GlideSpaceCrouchCRunLeft ShiftHeavy/Light AttackLMBDash/Vampiric SprintCtrlFeedFTelekinesisQBlood Elixir1Mending Elixir2Potence Elixir3Fortitude Elixir4Abilities TargetingRMBStrikeRMB+1RelocateRMB+2AffectRMB+3MasteryRMB+4InteractEHeightened SensesVAll controller keybindings in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 The table below has information on all the default keybindings as applicable for your consoles. The controls mentioned in this table apply to DualSense, but the same layout applies to Xbox controllers. ControlInputMove ForwardLS upMove BackwardsLS downMove LeftLS leftMove RightLS rightJumo/GlideXCrouchCircleRunL3Heavy/Light AttackR1Dash/Vampiric SprintL1FeedL2+R2TelekinesisR2Blood ElixirD-pad upMending ElixirD-pad downPotence ElixirD-pad leftFortitude ElixirD-pad rightAbilities TargetingL2StrikeL2+SquareRelocateL2+XAffectL2+TriangleMasteryL2+CircleInteractSquareHeightened SensesR3How to change controls in Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Screenshot by Destructoid Whether you're using a keyboard/mouse combo or a controller, you can change the controls. Press a control that you want to change.You'll be asked to assign a new primary.You can also keep the same primary and add a new secondary.Confirm the changes to save them, and you can now use your new inputs. Naturally, changing controls on keyboard/mouse feels easier with a higher number of buttons, but controllers (all models) will allow you to remap the inputs. Like our content? Set Destructoid as a Preferred Source on Google in just one step to ensure you see us more frequently in your Google searches! The post All Vampire The Masquearade Bloodlines 2 keyboard and controller keybindings appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

There’s no question that one of the biggest talking points during last week’s Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show came out of Dead Space creator Glen Schofield’s opening keynote address, regarding his plans to “fix” the industry in part via the use of generative AI in games development. In addition to speaking with Schofield, IGN managed to get some time with another industry veteran, Meghan Morgan Juinio, to ask for her thoughts on the controversial practice that has previously been met with anger from Call of Duty fans, but also major support from games industry executives like EA CEO Andrew Wilson. “I think if we don’t embrace it, I think we’re selling ourselves short,” said Juinio, who recently vacated her role as director of product development at Santa Monica Studio after 10 years and two hugely successful God of War games. “AI is a tool, and something that will augment us. At least for right now, that’s how I see it. It’s going to evolve whether you’re onboard with it or not, so I want to be at the forefront of helping to guide how that goes and how we use it.” Juinio went on to compare the use of generative AI to the procedurally-generated content that's been a part of games development for decades now, pointing to SpeedTree – a tool for generating trees in real time – which was used as early as 2002 for the foliage in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. She also recalled a time when animators were pushing back against motion capture and the use of procedural generation to blend animation frames rather than key them by hand. Both procedurally generated assets and animations have long become standard practices in games development, and Juinio seems just as confident that generative AI will also find its place. “Personally, I’m super positive,” said Juinio. “Like [Glen Schofield said in his keynote address], this is the next big technological advancement that’s coming. In fact it’s here already, and I think as leaders in the video game industry it is on us to figure out not just can we do it with AI, but should we? And it’s a case-by-case type of decision making process and what's true for game X might not be true next year for game Y.” When asked if she thought the increasing adoption of generative AI might help mitigate the swelling costs of AAA-games development, Juinio was clear that the use of AI in games development is unlikely to be the be-all end-all solution to the post-pandemic pattern of regular studio closures and the bursting of the blockbuster game bubble. “I wouldn’t necessarily put it into an either/or kind of scenario in that way, because to me the size and scale and beauty of the game isn’t the main thing,” said Juinio. “At its heart, the game [needs] to be fun. [Ideally] at its heart the story is fantastic, it’s human, players connect to it, and it’s fun to play.” “And yes it looks beautiful, and yes the music is immersive. But the music could be really immersive and the gameplay could be not good, or the story [might] not be engaging, and I don't think it would resonate with players as much. And so at least for right now, I don't see AI replacing the fun gameplay that is at the heart of a game like God of War.” Although Juinio seems adament that generative AI in games development is here to stay, she also remains confident that it will never be able to rival the heart and soul that can only come from a human touch, and that the adoptance of AI will only be a positive if there's an equal amount of investment made into developers to help them get the best results out of it. “At the end of the day you still need game developers to come up with the ideas,” said Juinio. “The story of God of War is very much a human story that is based on human experiences.” “At least as of today, I don’t see that going away.” Earlier this month the makers of Battlefield 6 stated that there was currently no way to implement the use of generative AI into the daily work of its development team, despite regarding the burgeoning technology as “very seducing”. Indeed the debate over generative AI is ******* than in-game assets. At the start of October, Nintendo issued a statement in response to claims around generative AI, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling Sora 2 copyrighted character videos “interactive fan fiction.” Tristan Ogilvie is a senior video editor at IGN's Sydney office. He attended Gamescom Asia x Thai Game Show 2025 as a guest of the event organiser. View the full article

Следующая консоль Microsoft будет премиальной и высокотехнологичной. Об этом президент Xbox Сара Бонд сообщила в интервью техническому редактору Mashable Тимоти Бек Веру. View the full article