Today was another intense day for gaming and game developers, and there is plenty of interesting news to check out.
Since it would be impossible to cover every piece of news with its own article with limited resources, we’re publishing a daily roundup with more news for your perusal.
But let’s start with handy links to those that did get their individual article. If you’re interested in flight simulation news, you can enjoy our dedicated roundup.
- Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed by a couple of months to achieve further polish
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon has sold over 3 million copies
- PlayStation has revealed 3 new games for its China Hero Project
- Star Citizen has showcased big changes coming with Alpha 3.24
- A new gameplay deep dive of EA Sports FC 25 has been revealed
- Crimson Desert will be playable at Gamescom
- A new featurette for MechWarrior 5: Clans showcased one of its main characters
- Blizzard is open to testing 6v6 for Overwatch 2
- The Steam app to use Sony’s PlayStation VR2 on PC has been revealed alongside its system requirements
And now, let’s get down to business, shall we?
SAG-AFTRA Declares Strike Involving Actors Working on Video Games
SAG-AFTRA, the union protecting (among others) actors working on video games, has pulled the trigger on the strike that has been looming over the gaming industry for quite some time.
According to the announcement, the strike will become effective tonight at midnight and comes after 18 months of negotiation without a deal.
The union declares that any company that wants to employ SAG-AFTRA talent must sign the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement, or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement.
These agreements enshrine “critical” protections against the abuse of AI, which are defined as the “sticking point” that triggered the strike.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher commented:
“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate.”
Mecha Break Getting Surprise Open Beta Phase Next Month
If you’re interested in mecha combat, Amazing Seasun Games is launching an open beta phase for its upcoming multiplayer title Mecha Break next month.
You need to register on the Steam Page starting today and the open beta will start on August 10 and end on August 13, 2024. Those who participated in the closed beta test will also get access to a limited test phase between August 2 and August 8.
While the beta is only on PC, the game will also be coming to PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
Dating Sim Date Everything Announced
Today Sassy Chap Games (now that’s a company name I can get behind) and Team17 announced Date Everything, a new dating simulator created by popular voice actors turned game developers Ray Chase, Robbie Daymond, Max Mittelman, and Amanda Hufford.
The game does exactly what it says on the tin, providing 100 fully voice-acted characters who you can date and romance. You can already Wishlist it on Steam, albeit a release date has not been announced just yet.
Free Fallout 4 Megamod Fallout London Finally Released
Fallout fans have been waiting for the massive Fallout London fan project for a long, long time, but it’s finally here, and like most mods, it’s completely free.
It can be downloaded from CD Projekt’s GoG.com right now and it’s basically a fully new adventure set in a ruined London pretty much the size of a full DLC (and likely a bit more) giving players a good reason to fire up the veteran RPG after almost 9 years from its release, and while we wait for Bethesda to get around doing a new one.
Massive Total War: Pharaoh Dynasties Update Released
It’s no mystery that Total War: Pharaoh launched in a rather poor state. I actually reviewed it at my previous workplace and let’s just say that I wasn’t exactly charitable.
While I stand behind that stance, it’s doubtless that the good folks at Creative Assembly rolled up their sleeves to make things right and create a massive update to greatly expand the game and address many of the concerns that I and many fans expressed.
Today that update, named “Dynasties” has been released, and it includes a ton of content. Here’s an overview of the new content, while you can find the full patch notes on the official site.
- Expand Your Empire: Dominate a hugely expanded map, now including the Aegean and Mesopatamia, with 168 new settlements added.
- Lead New Factions: Four new playable major factions and 25 minor factions to lead to victory.
- Establish Your Dynasty: Start a family tree with the new Dynasty system, and build a legacy that will last the ages.
- Dominate The Battlefield: Wage war with over 150 new and reworked units, plus new battle mechanics.
Stellar Blade Gets Summer Update But Photo Mode is Still Pending
Shift-up’s action game Stellar Blade has certainly earned itself many fans since its release on PS5, and today the Korean developer launched a rather sizable summer-themed update with new outfits, a dedicated area, and more.
The only caveat is that the much-requested photo mode will take “a little longer” in the oven, but below you can check out an overview of the features of the update.
- A small area for a summer vacation has been added for a limited time at the Great Desert Oasis. Gift EVE a tiny break.
- Summer time-limited BGM at the Great Desert Oasis. You can still listen to the previous Oasis soundtracks at the base camp.
- Newly added object interaction with the sunbed.
- Two new outfits and one new accessory have been added and can be obtained from Clyde’s shop at the Oasis.
- Fixed the issue of the hair color change not applying in the Boss Challenge preset.
- Various other bug fixes.
