One of this week's biggest and most surprising pieces of gaming news was the shocking announcement that Epic Games has laid off 1,000 employees, with the developer and publisher pointing to an ongoing "downturn in Fortnite engagement" across Xbox, PC, PS5, and other platforms that ultimately led to Epic "spending significantly more than we're making" and making steep cuts "to keep the company funded."

The Unreal Engine, Epic Games Store, and Fortnite firm noted that together with $500 million savings achieved through other cost-cutting measures in areas like contracting and marketing, this layoff "puts us in a more stable place."

The community's reaction to the news has been scathingly negative, however, with many criticizing Epic fiercely for laying off 1,000 workers — many of whom have played instrumental roles in supporting Fortnite for many years — even as it continues to pay UEFN map creators and sign deals with Hollywood actors to appear in the free-to-play battle royale title. And, y'know, as CEO Tim Sweeney remains a billionaire.

As frustrations with Epic's cuts mounted on Tuesday evening, Sweeney took to social media to give a new statement in addition to his announcement of the layoffs. He recognized the workers let go as "once-in-a-lifetime quality folks," and made it clear that the layoffs were not a "performance-based "'rightsizing.'"

"In the coming days, employers will see a stream of resumes of once-in-a-lifetime quality folks. An important thing to understand is that Epic never lowered our hiring standards as we grew, and the layoff wasn't a performance-based "rightsizing" as companies call it nowadays," he wrote in a post on X (Twitter). "It's a sound bet that anyone with Epic Games on their resume is in the top few percent of their discipline."

Unsurprisingly, that wasn't exactly received well by the community, with many angry that Sweeney was singing praise for Epic Games' workers mere hours after laying them off from the company. That almost led to his post getting "ratioed"; at the time of writing, it has 5,100 comments — many of which are critical — and 6,300 likes.

"I'm sorry, but today you've completely ruined Epic and Fortnite's reputation. You can't just lay off over 1,000 employees, many of whom had been with the company for more than seven years or were exceptionally talented. You've made a huge mistake, and you're only going to end up losing everything you've built," wrote one commenter, accruing nearly 10,000 likes.

"What? This is the most ridiculous statement to make," said another. "Why not just keep them? You cannot seriously think its okay to lay off that many people and have this be the response. Ridiculous."

Other replies range from "I really wish you’d at least apologize" to "you should be guillotined," but in general, people aren't happy — and they're worried about the future of Fortnite now that huge swathes of devs that were maintaining and creating content for it are gone.

It's a more than valid concern, though what frustrates me the most is that here we are, seeing yet another big wave of video game industry layoffs that have gone on for four years now and don't seem to be stopping any time soon. It seems every week new cuts come down somewhere in the industry, and it's very deflating. My heart goes out to everyone affected by these cuts and others.

🗨️ What do you think of Sweeney's comments?

In the wake of Epic Games laying off 1,000 developers, many feel that Sweeney singing their praises comes off as rather tone deaf. Some, though, argue it's good that he's signaling to other companies that they're excellent workers, as this will hopefully help them get hired elsewhere.

How do you feel about what Sweeney said? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Today, Epic Games announced a massive layoff at the studio. In a note to the company, CEO Tim Sweeney wrote:

"Today, we’re laying off over 1000 Epic employees. I'm sorry we're here again. The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded. This layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles, puts us in a more stable place."

That’s a significant amount of spending, close to what Epic reportedly paid Google recently — around $800 million.

Continuing the statement, “Some of the challenges we’re facing are industry-wide challenges: slower growth, weaker spending, and tougher cost economics; current consoles selling less than last generation’s; and games competing for time against other increasingly-engaging forms of entertainment.”

“And some of our challenges are unique to Epic. Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, we’ve had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season; we’re only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimizing Fortnite for the world’s billions of smartphones, and in being the industry’s vanguard, we have taken a lot of bullets in a battle which is only in the early days of paying off for ourself and all developers.”

Years ago, Tim Sweeney mentioned they had potentially lost $1 billion due to Fortnite no longer being on the iOS App Store. A definite hole in the pocket for even one of the world’s largest game developers.

Ballistic, Rocket-Racing, and Festival Battle Stage are also shutting down as part of cost-saving measures. With a lesser number of employees, there will be fewer resources available to cover modes, and moving on from less-popular entities is a call, however sad, that Epic is being forced to make.

These modes will be available through April 16. So if they’re included as some of your favorites, now is the time to give them one last run before they’re sunset later next month.

Epic also mentioned AI was not to blame, even though Tim Sweeney has been on record as saying AI would be coming to all games, “Since it's a thing now, I should note that the layoffs aren't related to AI. To the extent it improves productivity, we want to have as many awesome developers developing great content and tech as we can.”

At least employees will have some coverage, as many will be granted severance packages of at least four months, and will be paid healthcare coverage of 6 months for employees affected in the United States. Here’s to hoping for a quick and smooth recovery for those affected by today’s news.

What do you think about the news today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. My sincerest condolences to anyone affected.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Epic isn’t just flirting with the idea of expanding beyond PC — it’s actively pushing to bring the Epic Games Store to the next‑gen Xbox. With the company reporting “serious growth” and confirming it has “been talking to the folks at Microsoft,” this isn’t a hypothetical. It’s a sign of how quickly the console landscape is changing as Microsoft warms up to third‑party storefronts and a more open ecosystem.

Epic Games is known for Fortnite these days, but did you know it also has a big PC gaming store? If you're reading this, I'm guessing the answer is yes, but it's no secret that it's often unfairly dismissed in gaming discourse.

Some analyses recently run with the idea that users aren't actively buying titles from the Epic Games Store, and that instead, Epic is training users to show up entirely for its free games only. Epic has also been the subject of debate over some of its publishing rules, with discussions raging over whether it's actually viable as a gaming store overall.

The data definitely says yes, as Epic shares its annual revenue reporting for 2025. To that end, we also caught up with Epic Games Store VP and GM Steve Allison to learn a bit more about where the platform is heading next.

Epic players actually are buying games, as the firm doubles down on "free"

In its annual report, Epic Games described a store that is steadily growing, despite claims to the contrary. Allison explained that spending on third-party games was up 57%, hitting $400 million last year for Epic, despite the fact that the industry overall is in a bit of a tough spot. Epic noted that its growth figures do not include first-party payment solutions. Some stores, like Apple's iOS, actively try to restrict games and app platforms from directing users to their own payment solutions. Epic does not, which allows companies to retain a bigger chunk of their revenue. Usage on third-party games also grew by 4%, hitting roughly 3 billion playtime hours.

Epic also hailed its free games program, noting that developers see a huge uplift when a game is free via its store, even on other platforms. We've heard similar from Microsoft when games are included in Xbox Game Pass — the boosted access seems to lead to an increase in virality for some titles, even on other stores. Epic sees this as a feature, not a bug.

"We take it very seriously," Allison says about its free games program. "The team loves to highlight games that they think are awesome, that may have been underserved or missed by players." Epic says that the free games it offers often see anywhere up to a 40% uplift on Steam and console platforms, driving interest and helping developers find new fans. But how does it help Epic itself?

"We bring in like 10 million new players a year through the program. It's very consistent. It's the best customer acquisition spend you can ever make, from a dollars-per-new-user standpoint," Allison explained. "It's really important for our players. I would never want to see us rug pull it away from people, it's kind of part of our identity."

Epic sees opportunity with Xbox's strategy, too, as it prioritizes user feedback

Epic, like Microsoft, is trying to build a PC store that competes directly with Steam, and potentially with each other. Despite this, Epic and Microsoft have collaborated fairly extensively in symbiosis. Epic depends on Windows, as does Xbox.

Fortnite is available on the Xbox PC store, making it one of the only other ways you can play the game. But much like Xbox, Epic is also working through a variety of user experience issues and tech problems that highlight how far behind both platforms are versus Steam in terms of polish.

"We're ripping out the underlying architecture," Allison says of the Epic Games Store, hinting at a big revamp for the near future. "We're well aware of complaints that the launcher can be slow to load, library taking up system resources — all these things will be profoundly improved when we ship this thing. It's coming in May or June. I saw a demo last week, the difference is significant."

Epic is also working on improving text chats between its games and platforms, bringing it in line with other services like Steam, Battle.net, and Xbox. Epic is also working on community tooling features, such as forums.

The next Xbox will have a layered interface to make Windows 11 more intuitive for controllers and TV sets, but it does require some legwork on the developers' part to truly optimize for it. On Xbox, Epic is also aware of the rumors. The next Xbox is a PC in essence, and thusly, will feature Steam, GOG, and indeed any PC store you want to install.

The next Xbox will have a layered interface to make Windows 11 more intuitive for controllers and TV sets, but it does require some leg work on developers' part to truly optimize for. Steam has its Big Picture TV mode, and Xbox has its Full Screen Experience mode. Epic is investigating these new opportunities as well.

"We've been talking about a bunch of these things," Allison tells me. "We've been talking to the folks at Microsoft. If they do follow through with allowing Steam and the Epic Games Store on the next generation of Xbox console hardware, we will be there. I'm fairly certain that'll require us to build an app that functions there."

Allison added that a fully Xbox Full Screen Experience-optimized Epic Games Store is not in the schedule right now, but is frequently talked about. "I expect we'll end up doing that. I can't commit because we're in the middle of these big projects. I'm a big, big fan. I've bought every version of the ROG Ally, including the new Xbox Ally. It's awesome to be able to play both Steam and Epic Games Store games on one device. We do need to build for it, but it probably won't happen this year. Maybe next year."

Epic deserves a lot of credit

Epic Games is something of a controversial company. The CEO's ... interesting opinions often provoke controversy, and the way the firm has upended the entire gaming industry with Fortnite has been both a blessing and a curse, depending on who you ask. Epic also did shut down Unreal Tournament, for which I will remain personally salty about ...

However, the many positives Epic has brought to the industry can't be denied. Epic has wielded Fortnite like a blunt object to drive iOS and Google to open up their mobile platforms for all developers, not just itself. The firm has some of the most generous revenue splits of any sales platform, and drove Xbox to follow suit with a similar cut on the Microsoft Store for PC. Epic is also removing all revenue sharing up to the first $1 million dollars, helping small and new developers find their footing.

Gaming has increasingly shifted towards "games as a platform," with Fortnite and Roblox at the top of the mountain. Epic could've cut itself off from the wider games industry. But, unlike Roblox, Epic has used Fortnite to try and promote "traditional" PC games to its vast and younger-skewing audience via the Epic Games Store. I think Epic deserves a ton of credit for that, in an era where games like Roblox would probably prefer the rest of the games industry straight up didn't exist.

If Microsoft truly intends to open the next Xbox to more third‑party stores, Epic’s timing couldn’t be better — and its ambitions couldn’t be clearer. The real question now is how far Microsoft is willing to go in reshaping the Xbox ecosystem, and whether players are ready for a console future that looks a lot more like PC. One thing’s certain: the conversations happening today could define the next generation of Xbox.

Over to you: If Xbox becomes a multi‑store platform, what does that mean for the future of console gaming? Let us know in comments what you think.

One of the hottest topics in gaming this week has been Valve's dominance in the PC gaming market, as its game distribution platform Steam boasts significantly larger user counts and revenue totals than competing storefronts. The news that a £656 million (roughly $900 million) anti-trust lawsuit in the UK has been given the go-ahead thrust Valve's business into the limelight, and sparked debates about whether or not any aspect of it is anti-competitive.

The lawsuit alleges that Valve enforces "Most-Favored Nation" price-parity clauses that prevent game developers from selling their games for less than they do on Steam on alternative platforms, which it argues enables the firm to charge devs an "excessive" 30% commission fee for every game purchase. This, it's claimed, has driven game prices up as publishers seek to recoup costs, resulting in a worse deal for consumers.

Public support for the case seems to be, overall, fairly low — we asked our readers what they thought, and the overwhelming majority think Valve's business is fine, also — though some do believe Valve is engaging in anti-competitive practices. One such critic is none other than Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company maintains the Epic Games Store, one of Steam's largest rivals.

Thursday afternoon, Sweeney took to social media to take aim at one of Steam's policies that wasn't explicitly mentioned in the lawsuit: its requirement that developers use the Steam microtransaction API to handle all in-game purchases. Basically, this means a game can only let Steam players buy add-on content in game with their Steam Wallet, and can't take that option away or offer alternatives — and as it does with full game purchases, Valve collects 30% commission on these transactions.

"Steam’s rules do explicitly prohibit games from steering players to competing purchase methods, forcing everyone to pay 30% to Valve," he wrote. "Apple and Google did the same until the court explicitly found this practice to be unlawful. Now they don’t!"

Sweeney is referring to Epic's high-profile legal disputes against both Apple and Google that targeted their policies that prevented developers from linking to external payment methods in their apps, forcing them to use the iOS App Store and Google Play Store's systems and pay a 30% cut of their revenue to Apple and Google.

Ultimately, both companies were ordered to change these policies, and now Sweeney believes Valve should have to change its rule, too.

"Today, in the USA, developers are free to steer users of iOS and Android apps to competing purchase methods. Apple and Google collect 0% on those transactions," he explained. "On computers and smartphones, Valve is the only major store still holding onto the payments tie and 30% junk fee."

"This is the practice courts found illegal for Apple and Google," he added in another post.

Some have spoken out against Sweeney's point by highlighting games like GTA Online and Final Fantasy XIV that are on Steam and have payment systems separate from Steam's. However, he says the keyword here is "in-game"; the external shops titles like these use aren't linked in the games themselves, and have to be found outside of the game client.

It's true that this is the exact same policy that Epic successfully battled Apple and Google in court over, so it wouldn't surprise me if this specific part of Valve's Steam business ends up having to change in the future, also.

With that said, I do still think victory for larger anti-trust claims like the UK lawsuit Valve is up against will be extremely difficult for their proponents to achieve, though ultimately only time will tell. It will be interesting to see where that legal action against the Steam publisher goes, and if anything comes of it.

Do you agree with Tim Sweeney that Valve requiring developers to use Steam's payment systems for in-game purchases within Steam games is anti-competitive? How do you feel about the way it runs Steam in general? Share your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to vote in our poll.

Remedy Entertainment, the storied developer behind big action-adventure games like Max Payne, Control, and most recently Alan Wake 2, has come out to publicly defend Epic CEO Tim Sweeney and Epic Games publishing after it recently came under criticism from Michael "Cromwelp" Douse, publishing director of the Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios.

Earlier this week, Sweeney argued that the competition between the Epic Games Store and Steam benefits both developers and players by giving them "more options and better deals," responding to news that the dark western FPS Blood West enjoyed a 200% spike in sales on Steam after it was given away for free on Epic.

Douse challenged this notion, pointing out that while Epic "entirely funded Alan Wake 2," Remedy went on to experience major financial troubles that he argues were likely caused at least in part by the deal it made with Epic to keep Alan Wake 2 exclusive on the Epic Games Store. Because it wasn't released on Steam, Remedy "couldn't tap" the platform and its far larger user base for sales.

"This altruistic pro-developer talk doesn't sit well," he wrote, noting that Remedy ended up "suffering potentially hundreds of millions in lost revenue."

Remedy, though, has now defended Sweeney and Epic. "Hi. There would be no Alan Wake 2 without Epic Publishing. The publishing deal with Epic was very fair to Remedy," the studio wrote in a social media post on Thursday morning.

"While these complex deals can often take even a year to reach their conclusion, and may not always be fair to the developer, this one was," it continued. "And it only took months to get done. Epic Games was, and is, an excellent partner to us. Steam or no Steam."

It's important to note that Douse's mention of an apparent "financial crisis" at Remedy doesn't stem from speculation. After the developer's co-op shooter FBC: Firebreak flopped last summer, it issued a "profit warning" to developers in October, and subsequently stated it was "not satisfied" with its Q325 financial results. CEO Tero Virtala stepped down from the company shortly afterwards.

Alan Wake 2 also didn't even turn a profit for the studio until a year and a half after its 2023 launch, with the game finally climbing out of the red when it surpassed 2 million copies sold across Xbox, PC, and PS5 last February.

There's merit to both sides of this debate, complicating the whole ordeal. While Alan Wake 2 may indeed never have existed without Epic's funding, it's also quite clear that the game would have enjoyed more sales — many more, most likely — if it got a Steam release at some point. The Epic Games Store only has "55%-60%" the number of monthly users as Valve's platform, after all.

One also has to wonder if Remedy would have struggled to find publishing support elsewhere, given the studio's pedigree. After Control blew up in 2019 and was lauded as one of the best narrative adventure games in recent memory, I'd think it would have been able to secure other funding. But perhaps the developer tried to and failed, before Epic came into the picture.

Ultimately, this debacle shines light on the fact that the Epic Games Store is still criticized by many for lacking key features, like the ability to write user reviews, community pages and forums where fans can share and discuss, the ability to preload most games, and more. It didn't even have a shopping cart until three years after launch.

Steam has all of this and more, and has for many, many years; perhaps if Epic focused more on improving the quality of its client, more players would be willing to use it to play games like Alan Wake 2.

What do you think of the Epic Games Store, and Alan Wake 2's exclusivity? Have you not played it yet because it hasn't come to Steam, or do you not care much about which PC gaming client you have to use to play a game? Let me know your thoughts below.

Epic Games Store just posted massive growth numbers — jumping from 108 million users in 2019 to 295 million in 2024. But here’s the catch: third‑party revenue only grew 1.6% in the same period, according to a post on Reddit.

The reason? Epic leaned so hard into free game giveaways that it trained millions of users to log in, claim freebies, and never spend a dime.

Online discourse be damned (particularly on Reddit); the Epic Games Store has come under scrutiny in recent days as users compare its growth between 2019 and 2024. During that period, the platform grew by 173%, rising from 108 million users to more than 295 million.

However, that growth has not translated into spending. Third-party revenue only increased by 1.6% over the same timeframe, showing that while Epic has attracted a huge audience, very little of that audience is actually buying games on the platform.

The Epic Game Store problem

For those who do not know, the Epic Games Store is Epic’s answer to Steam, Valve’s PC storefront that dominates the market. Steam is the go-to platform for most PC players, in part because it simply works and does not get in the way of the user experience.

Steam was not always that way. When it first launched in the early 2000s, it faced heavy criticism, but that is a story for another time.

The Epic Games Store launched in 2018 and immediately tried to take market share from Steam by offering developers a better revenue split and by locking down exclusive releases. That approach did little to win over players, and Epic has since moved away from it, but does still provide a better revenue split.

Instead, Epic leaned heavily into free games to bring users onto the platform. While that strategy worked in terms of sign-ups, it also turned the store into a place many people only open to claim giveaways before closing it again, which is something I also do.

It is easy to point and laugh at Epic here, but the platform does, or at least did, offer a worse overall experience than Steam in almost every way. It launched without many basic features, and while it has spent years filling in those gaps, for some users, it has all come too late.

For example, Epic only added reviews in 2022, wishlists in 2021, achievements in 2021, gifting in 2025, and messaging in 2025 after removing them four years ago. It still does not offer family sharing or mod support, and this is just a few things; the list goes on.

Is this an Xbox PC problem as well?

It is easy to draw some parallels between the Epic Games Store and Xbox PC. Both are competing with Steam, and both lack features by comparison, but that is largely where the similarities end.

While it is easy to be cynical about Microslop, the Xbox app relies heavily on subscriptions through Game Pass rather than giveaways. PC Game Pass has seen 45% year over year growth, which shows that even with its feature gaps, there is an engaged audience willing to spend money rather than just opening the app to claim free games and leave.

While this is not directly tied to Xbox PC, console players also show a strong willingness to spend, especially on shooter titles. Even though PlayStation is estimated to outsell Xbox hardware by roughly 3 to 1, Xbox users still turn out in large numbers to buy certain games, which you can read more about here.

Unlike Epic, Xbox is also investing heavily in a cross-device ecosystem across cloud, console, and PC. The long-term goal is for future Xbox hardware to blur the line between console and PC, bringing Xbox and Steam libraries together in one place. That vision is what keeps me in the Xbox ecosystem, as it offers a more open and flexible future than a closed platform that simply repeats the same cycle each generation.

The future of PC gaming is Steam for now

Unfortunately for Xbox and Epic, PC users have had it very good for a long time with Steam. Its user-focused approach and stable feature set mean it has not given players many reasons to leave, which is likely why both Xbox and Epic now seem more focused on carving out their own lanes rather than trying to directly replace it.

In Xbox’s case, the next generation of hardware is expected to support multiple storefronts, including Steam and Epic. For Epic, it has taken a different route by allowing things that Steam does not, such as NFT-based games, and by publicly supporting the use of AI in development. Tim Sweeney (Epic's CEO) has also criticised Steam for requiring developers to disclose AI usage.

What once felt like a space where Epic and Xbox could not exist now feels like one where coexistence is possible, and that is fine. While neither platform is likely to take meaningful market share from Steam, neither of them needs to in order to succeed on PC.

That reality is reflected in how I use it. I still open the Epic Games Store to claim free games, while spending most of my time working through my Steam and Xbox backlog, often forgetting Epic is even there. That does not make Epic a failure, especially since it brought in over $1.09B in revenue in 2024. By comparison, Steam pulled in $1.6 billion in December alone. While Epic may never reach the same scale or goodwill as Steam, it does not need to in order to remain successful.

For many, Epic has become the “free game launcher” rather than a real storefront. Steam remains the place people actually buy and play, while Epic’s strategy left it with hollow growth. Whether you see this as clever marketing or a failed experiment, one thing is clear: Epic taught its audience to rarely open their wallets.

Do you use Epic Games Store and if so, how? Let us know by commenting and taking part in our poll below:

Each time Fortnite announces a new collaboration, I’m usually thinking, yeah, that works. That reaction became especially common once the first anime crossovers started rolling in and they became common.

This time feels different. Fortnite is bringing in a genuine staple of my childhood with South Park, a long-running series that, if my mum had known what it was really about, would absolutely not have been allowed in our house in the early 2000s.

I first discovered South Park through a Blockbuster rental, and now there’s a good chance an entirely new generation will discover it for the first time through Fortnite. With that in mind, here’s exactly what this collaboration brings to the game.

What the South Park collaboration brings to Fortnite

There’s actually a lot going on here. The update goes live tomorrow, January 9, 2026, and the collaboration is officially titled South Park: Born in Chaos.

Inspired by The Stick of Truth, the event introduces several new gameplay items, including the Stick of Truth itself. This is a one-time use item that lets players control the Storm’s movement, which is a first for Fortnite.

Players also get Cheesy Poofs as a new healing item, alongside Kenny’s Respawn Token, another one-time use item that automatically brings a player back after being eliminated.

The map gets a light makeover too, with the addition of Cartmanland, a direct callback to Season 5 of the series. I would have loved to see Casa Bonita included, but Cartmanland still feels like a strong fit.

Don't forget that Game Pass Ultimate members get the Fortnite Crew, which includes the current Battle Pass and more for free, along with their subscription!

Skins are available for Cartman, Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Butters, although Fortnite once again leans on mech suits, which is a little disappointing. Personally, I would have loved to see the anime-inspired designs from the Good Times with Weapons episode, complete with unique weapons and move sets.

Perhaps the biggest addition overall is the new five-player mode, allowing squads of five instead of the usual four. Alongside that is the Born in Chaos Pass, which is completely free and includes 13 South Park-themed cosmetics.

What do you make of South Park landing in Fortnite? Let us know by commenting or taking part in our poll below:

Tim Sweeney, Epic’s CEO, has taken to X (Formerly Twitter) for the second time today to double down on his views on AI. Earlier in the day, he posted that games should not need to disclose their use of AI.

The reception to this was mixed. Some argued that players deserve to know what they are buying, and others felt that AI is now part of modern development and should be treated without stigma.

Now, later in the same day, Sweeney has shifted his focus to Valve’s storefront Steam, which currently requires developers to disclose any use of AI in their games.

What Tim Sweeney actually said

In response to a quote repost on X from user @BenjiGameDev, the claim was made:

It is a bold claim, and here’s what Tim Sweeney said earlier that the post was in response to:

When replying to the repost, Sweeney clarified his stance. He said:

The concerns around the use of AI in games is valid, however, there is something Tim seems to dismiss here. If AI tools do become normalized, which if we’re being honest they already kind of are, the same argument that it will hurt indie developers could be made, as these tools could flood the market with “easy” AI made games, giving less exposure to indie developers who have put more effort into their titles.

How AI is shaping creative work in game development

There is also a growing trend within the indie scene to distance projects from AI entirely, often using the absence of AI as a core selling point. Many developers feel this helps reassure players who are wary of AI influence in creative work.
Outside of indie projects, concerns remain about AI replacing creative roles. We are already seeing examples across the industry, with Black Ops 7 using AI-generated art in the final game.

This does not mean AI has no place in development. It can streamline specific processes, and it can be used responsibly when people are compensated fairly. ARC Raiders is a good example, where voice actors were paid for the use of their voice.

The worry is that AI will move beyond streamlining and begin replacing key roles entirely. That sets a problematic precedent for the future of creative work in game development.

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Currently, Steam and other storefronts require developers to disclose whether generative AI is used in their games. This appears as a clear AI-generated content disclosure on each store page.

Supporters say it helps them make an informed choice and avoid what many are calling AI slop, a term aimed at low-effort releases designed to make a quick profit. This has also led to some indie developers promoting their work as AI-free to build trust and stand out online.

On the other side, major publishers and engine makers continue to adopt AI-assisted tools throughout their pipelines. For those teams, AI is quickly becoming another standard part of development rather than a feature that needs special attention.

What Tim Sweeney argues and how the community has responded

Tim Sweeney, Epic Games CEO, replied to a post on X (Formerly Twitter) from user @cinedatabase that said “Steam and all digital marketplaces need to drop the ‘Made with AI’ label. It doesn’t matter any more.”

In his response, Sweeney said:

Some people agree that many modern development tools will rely on AI, which raises the question of where the line should be drawn. For many, that line seems to be generative AI, particularly when it comes to generated art.

A repost from user @EZE3D gained more than seven thousand likes and made the case for clear disclosure. The post said:

How AI is currently being used in games

One of the most popular games right now, ARC Raiders, found itself in controversy over its use of AI. The team stated that procedural and AI-based tools assisted with development, and that voice actors signed off on their voices being used for AI and were compensated for their work. The game uses machine learning to shape enemy behaviour, and it includes AI-generated text-to-speech trained on real performers.

The studio also clarified that these tools were used to support production rather than replace core creative roles. This helped ease some concerns, although the debate around voice training and long-term rights continues to follow the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 saw far less pushback, even though it uses AI-generated calling cards. Black Ops 6 also used AI-generated art for its store bundles. Both games list a generative AI disclosure on Steam as required.

It feels as though AI tools used to help the development process are here to stay, regardless of whether the AI bubble bursts or not, but deciding what is acceptable and not remains a difficult line to draw.

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In a surprise moment during Unite, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney walked on stage at an event dedicated to Unity, a competing game engine, to announce a new partnership between the two companies.

The collaboration will allow Unity games to appear inside Fortnite’s discovery system alongside existing Unreal content. Developers will also gain access to Fortnite’s Creator Economy, which already pays out hundreds of millions of dollars to creators every year.

It's a significant move that signals a much broader goal for both companies. It also puts direct pressure on platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, which have their own creator economies but far more restrictive rules.

Can Fortnite’s creator economy really compete with Roblox and Minecraft?

Roblox has set the standard for a closed, creator-driven platform built around user-made games. Its catalogue and monetisation stay locked inside its own ecosystem. Even with that limitation, Roblox has grown to more than 380 million monthly active users (MAU), which puts it above platforms like Steam and not far behind the 500 million MAU tied to Microsoft after its acquisition of Activision, Blizzard, and King.

For context, Minecraft sits at around 200 million MAU. Fortnite averages about 110 million MAU, although it has more than 500 million registered accounts in total. Around 40 percent of Fortnite's monthly net revenue is distributed to creators based on community interaction with creator content.

If Fortnite opens its doors to Unity developers, it begins to mirror Roblox’s model, but with a higher payout for creators. Publishing Unity games directly inside Fortnite also creates an indirect path to reach mobile players without relying on Apple and Google’s payment rules.

Unlike Roblox and Minecraft, which require creators to work inside their own editors, Epic appears to be opening the door for other engines to collaborate in the future. This partnership shows that Unity games can be published inside Fortnite without being rebuilt in Unreal.

Allowing Unity games to run inside Fortnite even though Fortnite is powered by Unreal Engine is impressive in itself. It also gives Unity developers access to Fortnite’s discovery system, which could help surface their games to new audiences. This reach extends across console, PC, and mobile, which provides developers with opportunities to capture audiences they otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach.

Unity has launched a native, cross platform commerce system in October, 2025, built directly into the Unity engine. It gives developers one place to manage their entire digital catalogue, pricing, promotions, and in-app purchases across mobile, PC, and the web without relying on platform-specific tools.

Unity also confirmed that Unreal Engine support is coming to this system. Unreal developers will be able to manage their catalogues, payment providers, web shops, and live operations through the same dashboard, with support expected early next year.

Where Fortnite goes next after opening up to Unity developers

Unity is the first major external engine to be used inside Fortnite, but it does open the door for other engines in the future. Godot is an obvious example, as it is popular with indie developers and could benefit from the same kind of integration if Epic chooses to expand this approach.

With higher payouts and more accessible tools, we could see more than just hobbyists and small teams experimenting inside Fortnite. Larger studios may consider releasing games into the ecosystem as well. The inclusion of Unity also raises the possibility of more standalone-style games entering the platform, which could help close the content gap with Roblox and introduce more complex game types for a wider range of players.

This will not be easy. Fortnite’s discovery system still leaves room for improvement, and it needs to evolve as the catalogue grows. Performance could also become a challenge across the wide range of devices Fortnite supports, especially after its recent release on the Xbox App on PC and support for Xbox Ally devices, which isn't going smoothly. Cross-engine support and cross-platform stability will be critical for this to work at scale and for the partnership to succeed in the long term.

FAQ

Players who still subscribe to the top tier of Xbox Game Pass may have endured a massive 50% price hike recently, but one of the benefits touted alongside that increase is soon to arrive. As shared on Xbox Wire on Friday, the Fortnite Crew subscription is coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Nov. 18, 2025.

That means that Ultimate-tier subscribers will get access to the Fortnite battle pass, 1,000 monthly V-Bucks, and other goodies on a regular basis. Fortnite Crew normally costs $12 a month, so if you're already subscribed to both separately, you can save some money now.

Alongside confirmation of when this new feature will be dropping, Xbox Wire also shared that Fortnite is coming to Xbox on PC, and by extension, is getting Xbox Play Anywhere support.

By extension, that means players using the newly-launched ROG Xbox Ally handhelds will be able to download and play Fortnite natively, without having to install the Epic Games Store launcher.

Xbox Play Anywhere support comes at an interesting time

The newfound launch of Fortnite on Xbox Play Anywhere is quite interesting, as it comes at a time when the Xbox division is placing greater and greater emphasis on Xbox Play Anywhere as a feature for players to take advantage of.

The company is also exploring other avenues with the feature, bringing some games like id Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages to Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net launcher.

Windows Central has even reported that there is a yet-unannounced Xbox Partner Preview event coming later in November that will be heavily focused on games with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

The timing is also interesting (entirely by coincidence) as Steam owner Valve recently announced its upcoming Steam Machine, bringing the idea and functionality of the Steam Deck to a console-like form factor.

Valve's device has many advantages, bringing in Steam players' libraries that can now amusingly include Xbox and PlayStation games, but the use of SteamOS means the usual anti-cheat drawbacks will be present. That means games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and Fortnite won't be playable on Steam Machine, at least for now.

Will Xbox players subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate for Fortnite Crew?

When the tier changes for Xbox Game Pass were previously announced, I argued that the reasoning actually made some sense, with Xbox trying to tackle a very valid problem with "black hole" games eating up player time, but that it wasn't likely to end up working.

That's still my opinion now, but I'm curious to see what happens in the weeks and months to come. If you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber (or someone that regularly plays Fortnite) then please, let me know if you'll be taking advantage of this new combo.

Fortnite Crew is a subscription plan that those of us who aren't hardcore Fortnite players probably didn't even know existed. I know I didn't. I dabble from time to time, but it's been thrown into the limelight as one of the new perks attached to the reimagined Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier (with it's significantly higher price).

If you play Fortnite fairly regularly, it's not actually a bad deal. Especially for a free to play game. A standalone subscription costs $11.99 a month, but if you're a subscriber to both Fortnite Crew and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you're one of the few people who can now come out with a saving.

What do you get in Fortnite Crew?

The Fortnite Crew subscription is made up of a number of different perks.

• One monthly Crew Pack
• Current Fortnite Battle Pass
• Current Fortnite OG Pass
• Current Fortnite Lego Pass
• Current Fortnite Music Pass
• 1,000 V-Bucks per month
• Rocket Pass Premium for Rocket League

That's a lot of content for $11.99, especially considering that the Battle Pass on its own costs 1,000 V-Bucks, or $8.99 in real money. So you get $17.98 in value just from the Battle Pass and the included V-Bucks.

Furthermore, the Lego Pass and Music Pass are 1,400 V-Bucks each, and the OG Pass is another 1,000 V-Bucks.

For regular Fortnite players, especially those who dabble in all of its modes, Fortnite Crew represents significantly good value.

If you don't want to subscribe every month, you're getting enough V-Bucks to cover the cost of a single Battle Pass in a month you aren't subscribed.

What do you get in the Crew Pack?

The Fortnite Crew Pack you get every month you're subscribed is made up of cosmetics. Each month will be an exclusive outfit plus matching accessory, and they're yours to keep, even if you then decide to cancel your subscription.

There's also a Lego specific version of the outfit to use in that mode. Again, it's yours to keep should you decide to cancel your subscription.

Only you can decide if Fortnite Crew is worth it to you. If you play a lot, and you're spending money on V-Bucks and the various passes anyway, then it makes a ton of sense.

From November 18, 2025, Fortnite Crew will be part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. If you're someone who already subscribes to both, then it makes sense to cancel Fortnite Crew from then.

If you're on a lower tier of Game Pass, you'll still be better off financially keeping a separate Fortnite Crew subscription by a few bucks a month over jumping to Game Pass Ultimate.

Q&A

On Wednesday morning, the team at Xbox rolled out news for a series of changes coming to Microsoft's subscription service, Xbox Game Pass.

There are a number of improvements across different tiers (PC titles and Cloud gaming are notably available at every level, to some extent), while the high-end Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier received a number of new perks meant to justify an eye-popping new price tag of $30 a month, which is a 50% price hike in the U.S.

To say it's been poorly received by hardcore players on social media might be a twinge of an understatement, with plenty of furor and criticism for the new amount being charged at the highest tier.

All of that is completely warranted, but I do think there's another interesting discussion to be had with what the attempt here has been. Namely, Xbox is trying to solve an extremely valid problem, but isn't going about it the right way.

The Games-As-A-Service elephant in the room

Winding the clock back a bit, anyone who has read my work before knows I'm a huge fan of all the data shared by Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella, who regularly provides updates on the most-played games in the U.S. on a weekly basis.

Scouring through those updates for this entire year, week after week, month after month, you'll quickly pick up on something interesting: It's the same handful of games, and many of them are free-to-play titles. These "black hole" games are sucking all the air out of the room.

Fortnite and Call of Duty take the top two spots, occasionally swapping but always there like ironclad stalwarts. Roblox and Grand Theft Auto 5 can be depended upon to secure spots #3 and #4. More variety is sometimes found from this point on, but it's still heavily live-service driven, with games like Marvel Rivals, Minecraft, and others.

Sometimes there's a breakthrough, such as with the recent arrival of PlayStation's Helldivers 2 on Xbox, which is another live-service game.

It's a problem everyone is the gaming industry is aware of and no one knows how to solve. Over the last few months, I've heard comments from some Xbox employees that getting players who only care about Fortnite and other free-to-play games into Xbox Game Pass was a significant long-term goal, though there weren't any details at the time.

As a result, on paper, I do get the idea here. Provide a Fortnite Crew subscription (which gives the Battle Pass and some microtransaction currency) alongside access to new Xbox first-party games. If someone is usually willing to buy Fortnite battle passes, maybe they can be tempted into a subscription that'll cause them to dip their toes in the water of other titles.

The issue is that this kind of price increase, hitting the existing marrow of Xbox users, is likely to eject them to a point that any uptick is made irrelevant, or at least seriously diminished.

There is simply no point in sacrificing the hardcore base you already have in order to maybe leech users from a more casual pool.

So...what happens now?

The age of bots is upon us, and I usually urge caution when it comes to social media outrage, as it's increasingly difficult to tell if that anger is legitimate or real in many capacities. That's not the case here.

My colleague Jennifer Young wrote about how she feels Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has simply priced her out at this point, and (anecdotally, perhaps) it's a sentiment shared among almost every immediate friend or coworker I've been talking to today.

If there is a large enough wave of cancellations, then could Microsoft withdraw or reverse course, at least partially? It's certainly possible.

Xbox has numerous games launching in the coming weeks, from smaller, more artist-driven fare like Double Fine's Keeper to big role-playing games with Obsidian Entertainment's The Outer Worlds 2. I'll be fascinated to watch how this all unfolds.

For now, we'll have to wait and see.

Hey, would you look at that, another story about the CMA. I feel like it's been a year since I've heard about them, but lo and behold, they're somehow on the wrong side of the law, again.

In a statement released on X, Epic announced that it would not be releasing the Epic Games Store in the United Kingdom on iOS this year as a result of the recently released CMA roadmap. As a result, Fortnite's return to iOS is also questionable.

Further hammering the CMA in its statement, Epic unleashed a haymaker proclamation: "Four years after concluding that the App Store and Google Play Store are parallel monopolies, the CMA has done nothing to allow competing stores."

Years after taking Microsoft to court over its acquisition of Activision/Blizzard, it seems the CMA has lost its bite. Whether you supported the overall process or not, we're now entering a phase of the CMA where they've yet again chosen to go against the rest of the world.

Further in Epic's statement, they highlight how the E.U., and even the United States, have better practices in place than the U.K. does.

When it comes to the E.U., Epic praised them for their efforts, "The signature accomplishment of the Digital Markets Act in the E.U. was introducing competition through alternative stores on iOS devices, leading to the launch of the AltStore, Aptoide, and the Epic Games Store in Europe. But the CMA has deprioritized store competition entirely, to be considered sometime in 2026."

Next, Epic addressed payment methods on storefronts, noting that the CMA will enable developers to advertise alternative payment options.

Epic said, "The CMA also made a vague announcement about allowing developers to steer customers to payment services outside of apps, without referencing the kinds of restrictions, obstructions, and junk fees that Apple introduced in Europe to make a mockery of the Digital Markets Act."

Continuing, they highlighted how the lack of clarity will lead to Apple being Apple: "Unless Apple and Google are completely blocked from imposing fees and discriminating against apps using out-of-app payment, we can expect years of malicious compliance ahead, and no genuine restoration of market competition."

Will Apple be the better man and not impose those fees? Did you laugh yet, or do you want to reread the joke?

If the last few years have proven anything, it's that Apple will do anything to take its cut from developers from iOS devices. I get it, a business is here to make money, but when every country has ruled that you've monopolized your storefront in some form or fashion, maybe it's time you start being a little bit better?

For example, when you look at markets like Windows PCs and Apple computers, you can see why both Apple and Google have been accused of being a monopoly on mobile. Could you imagine if Microsoft banned Epic Games Store, Steam, and every other store available on Windows?

Looks like Apple's walled garden is growing some rotten fruit, huh? Not exactly Epic, is it?

What do you think about the ongoing battle between Epic and Apple? Are you surprised this is still happening? Let us know below or on social media. I want to keep talking about this until the day I pass.

Civilization is a legendary strategy series that got its start on PC. It's also a series in which its titles keep getting better after launch, especially as more updates, expansions, and DLCs arrive.

That's exactly the case with Civilization 6, which launched in 2016 and received new content up until 2023. There have been several bundles available over the years, picking up certain content alongside the base game.

Civilization 6's Platinum Edition doesn't have every bit of content released for the game, but it does include two expansions, six DLC packs, and the base game. Did I mention that it's completely free right now at the Epic Games store?

This 100% discount promo is expected to run only until July 24, 2025, giving you roughly another week to nab it before it returns to the regular $79.99 price.

What is included in the Civilization VI Platinum Edition?

As mentioned, the Civ 6 Platinum Edition doesn't have every bit of content made for the game; that's left to the Civilization 6 Anthology Edition, which is quite a bit pricier.

Does that really matter when you're getting the Platinum Edition completely free? Yes, you'll have to deal with the Epic Games launcher, but I'd say it's completely worth it. And you can always add any missing content to your library at a later date.

The base Civilization 6 game, naturally, is the root of this bundle. It's joined by the Rise and Fall expansion, as well as the Gathering Storm expansion.

Both expansions added a ton of content to the game, and I consider them crucial to the full Civ 6 experience.

The Platinum Edition bundle also includes six new civilizations with scenario packs attached.

• Civilization VI – Vikings Scenario Pack
• Civilization VI – Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack
• Civilization VI – Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack
• Civilization VI – Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack
• Civilization VI – Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack
• Civilization VI – Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack

Alongside the 18 civilizations and 19 leaders that are included with the base game, you shouldn't run out of content anytime soon.

Civilization 6 is worth a try, even when it's not free

Civilization 6 launched with some mixed reviews, but as with most Civ games, it has since become a favorite of many players.

I've put hundreds of hours into the game — second only to Civilization 5 — and still feel the occasional urge to come back for one more round against old friends.

We reviewed Civilization 6 on PC when it launched in 2016, with former Windows Central writer Jen Karner remarking:

"Civilization 6 delivers a nearly flawless 4X experience that gives you everything you already love about the Civilization series, while adding new and interesting facets. Pick a Civilization and take over the world, whether that means wiping out every other major Civilization on the planet, or by exerting your control via science. There is tons to do, and we only barely scratched the surface here."

Civilization 6 also saw a launch on Xbox in 2019, and Windows Central Executive Editor Jez Corden said in his review:

"I've spent several dozen hours with the game, and I still feel like I've just barely scratched the surface. There are also expansions to explore with tons of new mechanics, content, and civilization playstyles I haven't even touched as of writing, alongside multiplayer modes, custom matches, and challenge scenarios. [...] Just beware. This game truly exemplifies the "just five more minutes" gameplay loop. Before you know it, you'll blink, and midnight will turn into 6 AM (as it did with me)."

What else can I say? Even if you don't like the game, it's not like you're out any money.

As mentioned, this free copy of Civilization 6 Platinum Edition is only available at Epic Games until July 24, so don't wait too long to at least add it to your library.

For anyone who enjoys grabbing physical copies of video games, there have been a few noteworthy deals during this Amazon Prime Day. Continuing that trend, Xbox Series X owners can now grab a physical copy of Alan Wake 2 for $38.04 at Amazon.

That's a 37% discount on Remedy Entertainment's 2023 horror game. Players also get both DLC expansions bundled in, adding new stories that further flesh out the Remedy Connected Universe. There is no telling how long physical copies of Alan Wake 2 will remain in stock at this price, so act fast!

Why should you buy Alan Wake 2?

If you haven't played it yet, Alan Wake 2 is Remedy Entertainment's long-awaited sequel to the 2010 Alan Wake. The game has players following along with two protagonists. FBI agent Saga Anderson seeks to uncover the cause behind several murders, while titular writer Alan Wake works to escape the terror of The Dark Place.

This game delves further into horror than any prior Remedy game, with survival-focused combat and resource management unlike the studio's prior titles.

It's a thrilling, arthouse-esque experience that I enjoyed when I reviewed it at launch, noting how even the story delivery could be messy, it still stood out with amazing highlights that included gorgeous visuals and a phenomenal soundtrack.

In addition to the main story, this physical edition of Alan Wake 2 also bundles in two expansions. The first, Night Springs, tells three different standalone stories with different characters dealing with extraordinarily distinct scenarios.

The second expansion, The Lake House, is more narrative-driven, diving into an overrun FBC facility and furthering the game's connections to other Remedy works.

As part of the Remedy Connected Universe, Alan Wake 2 is set in the same world as Control, FBC: Firebreak, and the upcoming action-RPG Control 2. Without any spoilers, the Lake House DLC seems like it greatly hints toward what is coming next in Control 2, and I highly recommend playing it.

While the limited physical edition of Alan Wake 2 is usually $60, this Amazon Prime Day sale brings it down to $38, making it a must-buy for anyone who needs a copy for their game collection. It is important to note that this obviously won't be compatible with an Xbox Series S or an Xbox Series X Digital Edition, since it's an actual game disc.

Amazon Prime subscribers get numerous benefits during Amazon Prime Day, with faster shipping and access to some exclusive offers that aren't available for regular users.

Of course, subscribers also have access to Prime Video year-round, which includes original shows like the upcoming second season of the Fallout TV series, which is set to arrive in December.

One of the most developer-friendly game storefronts for Windows PC, iOS, and Android — as well as the biggest competitor to Valve's dominant platform Steam — is about to get even better this summer.

That app is the Epic Games Store, a launcher and distribution service launched by Unreal Engine and Fortnite creator Epic Games back in late 2018 on PC and eventually came to mobile devices last year. On Thursday morning, the company announced that two major new features are coming to the platform in June. The first is a change to its revenue share policy that will see game developers pay 0% of the first $1 million it makes each year on games it launches on a per-app basis.

"Starting in June 2025, for any Epic Games Store payments we process, developers will pay a 0% revenue share on their first $1,000,000 in revenue per app per year, and then our regular 88%/12% revenue share when they earn more than that," wrote the firm.

On top of that, Epic is also announcing that support for webshops — stores that offer microtransactions on in-game items — hosted on the Epic Games Store are coming to its platforms. Unlike in-app purchases that allow companies like Google and Apple charge developers fees, the firm says these out-of-app purchases on Epic won't have these royalties. Notably, the reveal of this upcoming feature comes immediately after a judge ruled that Apple has been skirting around an order to stop preventing developers from offering players out-of-app stores on Wednesday evening.

"In June 2025, we are releasing a new feature enabling developers to launch their own webshops hosted by the Epic Games Store. These webshops can offer players out-of-app purchases, as a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases, where Apple, Google, and others charge exorbitant fees," Epic explained in its blog post. "With new legal rulings in place, developers will be able to send players from games to make digital purchases from webshops on any platform that allows it, including iOS in the European Union and United States."

Another thing that's important to note is that while neither of the aforementioned features and policy changes inherently benefit players, Epic is making them quite a nice offer if they purchase something from Epic Games Store-based webshops. Specifically, you'll get 5% cashback on all transactions made in these stores that will go directly into your Epic Rewards balance, allowing you to then spend that money on other microtransactions and even full games.

A colossal win for game developers

The Epic Games Store was already hugely beneficial for game developers since it offers an 88%/12% revenue share policy — a significantly better deal than the 30% cut that Valve shaves off the top of all Steam purchases. With each of these new features, though, it just became an even more attractive platform to release titles on.

A full $1 million that doesn't have to be split between Epic and the developer per app per year will translate to quite a bit of increased revenue for developers over time, and the addition of support for Epic-based storefronts will also be a huge boon for mobile game developers in particular. That 5% cashback offer on purchases made in those webstores is nothing to scoff at, either.

From a user perspective, the Epic Games Store is still far from perfect; many important features like game gifting or preloading upcoming releases are glaringly absent, and while Epic says these are coming, it's frankly baffling that they haven't yet been added in six years after the platform's release. Even though most PC players still prefer Steam as a result, though, the Epic Games Store nevertheless remains a fantastic auxiliary service for game devs to publish on.

Oh boy, it hasn't been a fun few months for our old pals Apple.

While still the biggest company in the world by market capitalization, Apple has been rocked by the on-going tariff war between the U.S. Trump administration and China, threatening to upend the affordability of its products. And now, a U.S. judge has dealt a huge blow to Apple's repressive iOS mobile monopoly, in a case funded and spearheaded by Epic Games of Fortnite fame.

Epic Games has argued that Apple's fees and restrictions create an arbitrary and anti-competitive market position for the firm, whose iPhone and iPad dominate the U.S. market. Apple charges developers upwards of 30% to sell products through its store front, and even chases them down for payments if their users buy subscriptions and services via the web.

Epic Games v. Apple judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (via The Verge), just angrily rebuked the iPhone maker for "wilfully" ignoring a previous injunction, while slapping them with fresh restrictions.

"For the reasons set forth herein, the Court FINDS Apple in willful violation of this Court’s 2021 Injunction which issued to restrain and prohibit Apple’s anticompetitive conduct and anticompetitive pricing. Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated," the ruling reads, which Apple says it will contest.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney welcomed the news on Twitter (X), stating that the firm will bring Fortnite back to iOS in the United States as early as next week.

The ruling decrees that Apple can no longer take payments from apps or game sales that emanate from outside of its store. Apple can also no longer dictate how app and game developers direct users' payment options, beyond a "neutral" statement that they are moving to a third-party website to complete payment.

The ruling is a huge coup for Apple app and game developers everywhere, who will now have the option of using cheaper third-party options outside of Apple's ecosystem for collecting payments, or by simply using their own.

For Microsoft, Apple's iOS restrictions have prevented them from launching Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass on mobile. Apple rules that any games that appear on iOS have to be on a per-product basis, preventing services that collect multiple games into a single entity. Netflix and others get around this by listing their streaming games individually, but it's not exactly viable when your service is going to have thousands of listings potentially under that system.

While this court ruling doesn't exactly help Microsoft in the cloud gaming space, it will help Microsoft sell games directly to consumers via its own apps and services, cutting Apple out of the equation. This is essentially how it works on Windows, and has led to lower costs for consumers, as there's no-one in the middle taking payments arbitrarily. Steam doesn't "pay to play" on Windows, for example.

We've reached out to Microsoft for a response.

Whenever someone says that gaming on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PCs is horrible, I always take exception. I've written first-hand experience that shows this just isn't the case.

There is one roadblock though; Anticheat. Today, Epic Games and Qualcomm have announced a collaborative effort to upgrade Easy Anti Cheat to support Snapdragon X later this year.

"Hundreds of today’s multiplayer games—including Fortnite—rely on Easy Anti-Cheat to counter hacking and cheating in multiplayer PC games. In addition to releasing Windows on Snapdragon anti-cheat support for Fortnite we will bring this support to developers through an Epic Online Services SDK release. This will enable developers using Easy Anti-Cheat to bring this compatibility to their own games. "

Unsurprisingly, the first title to go live is also the biggest. It's also the one that makes the most sense. Epic Games' megahit, Fortnite, will be going live with Snapdragon X support for Easy Anti Cheat later this year. There's no more specific information than that on when, but it's in progress.

This is huge for a number of reasons, not least one of the most played games on the planet becoming available on Snapdragon X-powered PCs. Fortnite is traditionally one of the easier games to run on lower-powered hardware, so it's a good fit.

It's also, as Epic says, the perfect way to battle test that it actually works.

"Battle-testing Windows on Snapdragon anti-cheat support with Fortnite will help ensure smooth implementations in other games."

Fortnite is, after all, a controlled test environment that Epic has the best access to. In addition to Fortnite, Epic will release an SDK update for other developers to add support into their own EAC implementations.

Gaming on Snapdragon X is, in some regards, akin to gaming on the Steam Deck. The two aren't apples for apples, but both share an issue with anticheat software. Steam OS is based on Linux, and so Windows-based anticheat doesn't just magically work.

The situation over there has improved a lot, despite holdouts, and the likes of Riot Games' Vanguard, and Activision's Ricochet, are unlikely to ever work on Linux due to their kernel-level activity.

Epic Games has been very proactive though and supports Steam Deck, and will soon support Snapdragon X for Windows. Whatever your feelings about the company, you cannot deny the effort the boffins there are putting in to open up gaming to as many folks as possible.

I've been really impressed with gaming performance on both the Snapdragon X Elite and the Snapdragon X Plus, both with and without using Microsoft's Auto SR upscaler. Even being a first-gen product, the performance is there.

Lots of stars need to align, not least Qualcomm pushing regular graphics driver updates and Microsoft expanding support for Auto SR. But anticheat is a massive roadblock to playing some of the most popular games on the planet, so the impact here is real. It has to start somewhere, and the ball is now officially rolling.

The biggest challenge to a new game on the market is Epic Games' ongoing free-to-play juggernaut Fortnite. That's according to Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella.

Speaking with Greg Miller on Kinda Funny Games about everything going on across the gaming industry, Piscatella laid out some sobering figures for the video game audience in the U.S, pointing out that 30% of players won't buy a game this year.

The players that do? Only 12% of them are buying a game once a month. The vast majority of players buy only one or two games, meaning free-to-play games like Fortnite are fighting every new release for attention.

"The biggest competitor to any new video game is Fortnite. I will die on that hill, no matter what it is, because you have to fight Fortnite before you fight anything else to get your game seen and purchased, and that's the biggest challenge happening right now," Piscatella explains, noting that in the current market, getting an hour of playtime for your game means taking it from something else.

While Fortnite first launched in 2017 as a survival game, the Battle Royale mode rapidly exploded in popularity, rapidly grabbing million of players and bringing in billions of dollars of revenue, cementing Epic Games' place as a live service developer.

Fortnite is now one of the most played games on all platforms, regularly fighting with Call of Duty HQ — Activision's launcher for all recent Call of Duty games — for first place on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, per Piscatella's reports via Circana data.

What are "Black Hole" games?

The phrase "Black hole" games refers to any big game that gets a disproportionately large chunk of player engagement, in terms of hours spent and overall spending. The majority of the black hole games are free-to-play, with titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone taking up a large amount of time and money from other games.

I've previously written about the problems the industry faces with black hole games, and how there's not a clear solution to the problem. If Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 does launch this year, it'll very interesting to observe exactly how the game alters player behavior.

There's been some new live service successes, with Marvel Rivals now one of the most-played games on all platforms, but failures like PlayStation's Concord have been far more frequent over the last couple of years.

During the Christmas break from work, I spent a lot of time getting reacquainted with my Steam Deck. It's been neglected a little of late, not least because I also recently acquired an ROG Ally.

One of the things I finally got round to doing was installing and playing around with Decky Loader, a tool for adding useful plugins into the native SteamOS experience. Of all of these, one of my favorites is Junk-Store, which has become my new favorite way to get my Epic Games library onto the Steam Deck.

This is the best way to do it, now. As much as I love the Heroic Games Launcher, by doing things this way, you remove the need for any additional launchers to play your Epic library on the Steam Deck. Here's how to install it and how it works.

How to install Decky Loader and Junk-Store

Decky Loader is far more useful than just giving us this excellent way to access our Epic Games library, and despite being late to the party, it's easily the number one thing I'd recommend everyone uses.

We have a full guide on how to install Decky Loader on your Steam Deck if you need help getting it set up. It's fairly straightforward, but you will need a keyboard and mouse to make it easier, since you'll have to do it from desktop mode. But it's essentially as simple as downloading a file and installing it.

Once it's all up and running on your Steam Deck, press the QAM button (the three dots) and you'll see the new icon for Decky Loader at the bottom. Tap on this, then tap on the little icon that looks like a shop.

Search for Junk-Store and then simply tap on Install. You'll now have the Junk-Store option inside the Decky Loader tab, so the next part is to authenticate with your Epic Games account.

If you still have a keyboard and mouse connected, you can use this. If not, you'll need to press the Steam + X button combination to get the onscreen keyboard to show up. You're not adding your login credentials directly into the plugin, so you don't have to worry there, it opens the web login interface to link your account.

Once authenticated, you can start installing your games.

How to use Junk-Store to install your Epic Games library on the Steam Deck

The first time you use it, you may need to manually refresh the library to get your games to show up. Once complete, you'll have your entire Epic Games library there to install from, without needing to open up a dedicated launcher. The whole UI feels very similar to installing from your Steam library, though with some differences. The point is that it feels native. Using another launcher on the Steam Deck is far more jarring.

Installing games is as simple as tapping the install option. There is one caveat, though. It seems that if you back out of the plugin and go and do something else on your Steam Deck, the installation will cancel, and you'll have to do it again. It's no major disadvantage, though.

Games don't go into your installed tab in your library, instead going into the Non-Steam category, where anything you haven't installed from Steam goes. You still have the same options to customize the Proton version you're using, though, and you can also do this (and more) from within Junk-Store, too.

What you don't get is any kind of information on how these games play on the Steam Deck. For that, I'd still recommend going to ProtonDB and checking out the community feedback.

One additional thing you might need to do is change the location of where the games install. You can't do this on a per-game basis as with your Steam titles, but you can change from within Junk-Store's global settings. While in the plugin, hit the Settings cog, and you'll see an option to install either to the SSD or the microSD card.

Ultimately, though, this is the best way to integrate your Epic Games library into your Steam Deck. It will add your games straight into your main library, rather than requiring opening an additional launcher to do so. For that alone, it's well worth getting.

What you need to know

• Epic Games is launching a new first-person mode titled, Fortnite Ballistic.
• Launching in early access on December 11 with Ranked + Unranked gameplay.
• Ballistic is a round-based 5v5 competitive game mode with a performance-driven economy like Counter-Strike.
• So far it seems to be Counter-Strike made in Fortnite.

Fortnite's history is crazy. It was formed as a concept within Epic Games during an internal Game Jam in 2011. Cliff Bleszinski, who resigned from the company over a decade ago, was the lead developer at the time. Not only that, but it started out as a base defense game! Does anyone even remember that?

Since the initial launch of its genre-defining battle royale mode, Fortnite has continued to iterate over the years with new maps, modes, and a unique tool called Fortnite Experiences. Launching in 2023, Experiences allowed players to assemble completely new ventures using Unreal Engine 5 and Fortnite assets. The move turned what was once a base defense game into Epic Games version of Roblox. Now, Epic has added another layer in hopes to compete with other genres.

Revealed today, Epic Games has announced Fortnite Ballistic—the Unreal Engine version of Counter-Strike. That's a long route from where it initially started, and frankly, I could not be more fascinated by the idea. While Fortnite has had first-person mode since the beginning, it's never been a helpful feature, nor has it ever been worked on since its release.

Here's a quick, too-long-didn't-read of what Ballistic will entail.

• Launching in early access on December 11 with Ranked + Unranked.
• Ballistic is a round-based 5v5 competitive game mode.
• It will launch with a single map, Skyline 10
• It will feature a starting set of weapons and a limited number of items for players to use.
• Ballistic will have a Counter-Strike-like player economy.

It looks as though Ballistic is using the blueprint Counter-Strike has heralded for over twenty years for Fortnite. With round-based matches, no respawning between rounds, and a performance-based economy, Steam may have another free-to-play contender looking to pinch some of its market share.

"In Ballistic, players are sorted into two teams at the start of the match: attackers and defenders. Attackers aim to plant a reality-tearing Rift Point Device at one of two sites on the map, while defenders do their best to thwart the device from being planted and detonated.

There are no respawns in Ballistic — a round is over if the Rift Point Device explodes, or either team is fully eliminated. After 6 rounds, players will swap sides, giving defenders a chance to be attackers and vice-versa. The game is over when either team has won 7 rounds total!"

Moreover, players will earn currency that they can spend on weapons and items depending on how well they and their team perform. "You'll start the game with a Ranger Pistol and 800 Credits. In Ballistic, Credits can be earned from scoring eliminations and planting the Rift Point Device, and spent within a match at the beginning of every round on additional items and weapons to bolster your chances of success."

All in all, I don't see anything here that sets itself apart from Counter-Strike. While other games that look to take on the market leader, like Valorant, attempt to separate themselves by adding unique hero abilities. What sets Fortnite's Ballistic mode apart from the competition outside of Fortnite skins is yet to be seen, but be sure, I and I'm sure millions of others will be keeping an eye out.

Are you excited to try out Fortnite Ballistic? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. I'll be sure to cover the mode once it launches and give everyone my initial thoughts as a Counter-Strike player with over 2,000 logged hours. Until next time, game on!

What you need to know

• Alan Wake 2 first launched across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 back in October 2023. 
• Since then, developer Remedy Entertainment has shared a number of free improvements, including photo mode and New Game+, as well as the paid Night Springs DLC.
• Alan Wake 2's next DLC pack is called The Lake House, and it's taking players into an abandoned research facility filled with monsters.
• During the October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview, we learned that Alan Wake 2: The Lake House is set to launch on Oct. 22, 2024.

The horror of Cauldron Lake continues unabated. 

During the October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview, developer Remedy Entertainment showed up with a new look at The Lake House, the second paid DLC for the team's 2023 survival-horror title Alan Wake 2. In the presentation, we see an unsuspecting agent (and playable protagonist) investigating the Lake House research facility, only to discover monstrosities that are stalking the facility.

Unlike the oft tongue-in-cheek Night Springs DLC which arrived earlier this year, there's no laughs to be found in The Lake House, with Remedy making it clear that this is a "chilling survival horror experience" for players. The Lake House is set to launch on Oct. 22, 2024.

Alan Wake 2's DLC packs are both available exclusively for owners of Alan Wake 2: Deluxe Edition. If you bought the regular edition of the game, you can also buy the Deluxe Edition upgrade on all platforms.

Alan Wake 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (exclusively via the Epic Games Store), and PlayStation 5.

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Horror for Halloween

Alan Wake 2 getting more DLC geared specifically around horror is perfect given the time of year we're in.

A new playable character is interesting, and I'm thrilled that this DLC isn't holding back on the scares, but instead appears to be doubling-down on the base game's survival-horror focus. I also can't help but wonder about possible connections to Control 2, which is one of Remedy's next big upcoming games. 

In my review of Alan Wake 2, I wrote that "Alan Wake 2 is raw, making it a brutal experience that shouldn't be missed by longtime Remedy fans or newcomers drawn by promises of terror. It's a story that examines what it means to be a writer and balance expectations from an audience, matched with satisfying combat that bloodily earns its place as a horror game."

What you need to know

• GOG has used recent events to remind gamers of its secret weapon.
• When you buy a game on GOG, you get an offline installer for it, which cannot be taken away even if a license expires.
• It comes in response to Steam beginning to tell its customers they're only buying a digital license, which in turn comes after California passed a law saying it has to.

Late last week, Valve started adding a note into the cart on its Steam game store so that anyone buying knew they weren't actually getting ownership of the product. This, in turn, came after the State of California passed a law saying that digital stores would need to be up front about this.

In response, competitor store, GOG, has taken the opportunity to remind its customers that things are a little different over there.

GOG's big selling point that more people should shout about is that it sells games DRM-free. When you buy a game on GOG, you get access to an offline installer for it, which you can use to install and play your games even in the event a license for it ends. It essentially uncouples the license from the game and lets you have some actual ownership of the things you buy.

Of course, to use the installers indefinitely you will still want to have a copy or three backed up somewhere, and those aren't necessarily small. Storage, be it local and cloud, isn't that expensive these days though, but the point is that it's an option.

Does it have as many games as Steam? No. But it's currently the only platform that seems to give a damn about game preservation in the digital era, so it deserves our support. Buying Baldurs Gate 3? It's on there, and with an offline installer, you can be sure it won't go away.

All of this talk of licenses and ownership recently reared its ugly head again courtesy of Ubisoft and Sony. The former shut down The Crew without any offline access, meaning that the game is officially dead for all eternity. The latter announced, then rolled back, that it would be removing digital video content from folks libraries.

In any case, Steam, Epic Games, and the like, don't currently give you what GOG does. I want to see more publishers putting more games into GOG, and I want more people (myself included) to use it more often. It's about the only place that sells games right now that seems to get it.

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What you need to know

• A federal judge recently ruled in the Epic v. Google antitrust case, deeming the latter's Google Play Store service an illegal monopoly.
• Google will be required to make several changes to its service, including opening Google Play to third-party app stores for three years with access to the entire catalog of Google Play apps to foster fair competition.
• Google is seeking an immediate stay before the permanent injunction takes effect on November 1, 2024, as it plans to appeal the verdict.

Earlier this week, the legal battle between Epic Games and Google ended after Judge James Donato issued his final ruling, deeming Google Play Store an illegal monopoly. Donato's ruling highlighted several changes that need to be made, including opening  Google Play to third-party app stores for three years with access to the full catalog of Google Play apps.

Google's limitation to Google Play Billing for apps distributed on the Google Play Store will no longer stand after the jury established the company had illegally tied the payment system to its app store. Additionally, Google won't be able to pay companies to exclusively launch apps on its Google Play Store or even to preinstall the company's app store on devices.  

The new changes will take effect from November 1, 2024, to November 1, 2027, unless blocked by an appeal. Following the ruling, Alphabet's shares fell by 2.4%, indicating investors are concerned about the judgment and its long-term implication for the company's profitability. 

Google the following statement addressing the Judge's ruling on the case:

"The Epic verdict missed the obvious: Apple and Android clearly compete. We will appeal and ask the courts to pause implementing the remedies to maintain a consistent and safe experience for users and developers as the legal process moves forward." 

Epic Games previously argued that Google's business model created an unhealthy environment for competition. Google used lucrative deals to steer developers, device makers, and carriers toward its direction, making it difficult for third-party app stores to compete on an even playing field. It's worth noting that despite the highlighted changes, Google will have significant control over safety and security as it opens up the Google Play Store to third-party app stores. 

According to Tim Sweeney, Epic Games CEO:

"The Epic Games Store and other app stores are coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the USA — without Google's scare screens and Google's 30% app tax — thanks to victory in Epic v Google." 

The Judge granted Google eight months to create a new system featuring a three-person technical committee jointly selected by Epic and Google to review disputes flagged about the ruling. The system is also slated to create an avenue for developers to opt out of being listed in rival Android app stores. 

However, Judge Donato's ruling wasn't a have-your-cake-and-eat-it slam dunk for Epic Games. The company initially asked the court to crack open the Google Play Store for six years, allowing users to sideload third-party apps in a single tap. It also wanted Google to stop tying Android APIs to Google Play.

The Judge addressed some of these concerns while delivering his ruling and indicated:

"The provisions are designed to level the playing field for the entry and growth of rivals, without burdening Google excessively. As competition comes into play and the network effects that Google Play unfairly enjoys are abated, Google should not be unduly constrained as a competitor."

Google has already moved to court to appeal the verdict and is actively seeking an immediate stay before the permanent injunction takes effect at the beginning of next month. "We will keep advocating for what is best for developers, device manufacturers, and the billions of Android users around the world," the company concluded.

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More Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals

We at Windows Central are scouring the internet for the best Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals, but there are plenty more discounts going on now. Here's where to find more savings:

• Xbox controller deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Xbox SSD storage deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Gaming headset deals: Walmart | Dell | Target | Best Buy | Amazon 
• MicroSD storage deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Gaming handheld deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Laptop deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Copilot+ AI laptop deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Monitor deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Mini PC deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Gaming keyboard deals: Walmart | Best Buy | Amazon | Dell | Newegg 
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What you need to know

• Windows 11 24H2 is finally here, but there are still some known issues with it that Microsoft needs to work on. 
• One of those is an incompatibility issue with Easy Anti Cheat, used in games such as Fortnite, iRacing, and Elden Ring. 
• It only affects those using Intel's Alder Lake (12th Gen) and above CPUs and vPro, but Microsoft has implemented a hold on those devices getting the 24H2 upgrade until a fix is applied. 

No matter how much testing a new version of Windows goes through, there will always be bugs. That is still the case with Windows 11 24H2, now finally available outside of Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs at last. 

Microsoft has a list of known issues that are currently being worked on, but one in particular will be of interest to gamers. Especially gamers that play Fortnite, or any other title that uses Easy Anti Cheat (EAC). 

"Microsoft is working with Easy Anti-Cheat on an incompatibility issue between Windows 11, version 24H2 and the Easy Anti-Cheat application. This software is automatically installed with some games as part of security and cheat-prevention measures used in multiplayer online PC games."

Users who are affected by the issue will see a BSOD when trying to play games with EAC inside with the "MEMORY_MANAGEMENT" error. 

The good news is that you shouldn't be affected by this. It only affects systems with Intel Alder Lake (12th Gen) and above and vPro, so older hardware or anyone using AMD should be totally fine. Affected systems are also found to be using EAC drivers that were issued before April 2024, so overall, it should be a small subset of users. 

The even better news is that to make sure as few gamers as possible are affected by this, Microsoft has implemented a compatibility hold on systems that might fall foul. Windows Update will not serve 24H2 to these machines, and anyone trying to use the Media Creation Tool to update will be served a message telling them their system isn't ready for it. It's recommended you don't manually update to 24H2 if you're running a system that could be impacted. 

It shouldn't impact all EAC games, but why take the risk. Furthermore, it seems like the fix is to make sure all games using the anti cheat software are updated to use a newer driver that's compatible with Windows 11 24H2. 

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The Steam Deck is a pretty awesome gaming handheld, but the fact that it cannot easily access game services out of the box other than Steam can make it feel a bit limiting. Thankfully, there's a helpful homebrew plugin called Decky Loader that widens the gaming handheld's initial abilities. With it installed, you can easily access your library of games on Epic Games, Ubisoft Connect, and more.

Plus, Decky Loader comes with a bunch of cool widgets and additional settings that you can install as desired. Here's how to get Decky Loader installed and enable its various features.

1. Turn on Developer Mode

To start things off, we need to make sure that the Steam Deck has Developer Mode enabled. Here's how to do that.

1. Press the Steam button.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select System.
4. Make sure Enable Developer Mode is toggled on (to the right)
5. In the left menu, scroll down and select Developer.
6. Scroll down to the Miscellaneous section and toggle on CEF Remote Debugging.
7. Press the Steam button again.
8. Select Power.
9. Select Restart and then Confirm.

2. Download Decky Loader in Desktop mode

With Developer Mode on and the handheld restarted, it's time to head to the Steam Deck's Desktop mode for the next stage of the Decky Loader install process.

1. Press the Steam button.
2. Select Power.
3. Select Switch to Desktop Mode.
4. You need to use Google Chrome for this to work. If you don't have it installed yet, open a browser (Mozilla Firefox is in the bottom tray by default). Press Steam button + X to bring up (or close) the on-screen keyboard and type in "Google Chrome download" into the search bar. Then, download/install the Debian/Ubuntu version of the app.
5. Using Google Chrome go to the Decky Loader download page on GitHub.
6. Click the big Download button.
7. After the app has downloaded, close out of Chrome and open the Dolphin file explorer (the blue file icon on the bottom tray).
8. Click on Downloads and then drag and drop the Install Decky file onto the desktop.
9. Double-click on Install Decky and run through the recommended installation settings. If your Deck is set to Beta Steam OS, choose the prelease option; otherwise, choose release. Then click OK.
10. After installation has completed, click OK.
11. Click on the Return to Game Mode icon on the desktop.

3. Activate Decky Loader's NonSteamLaunchers app

At this point, Decky Loader is on Steam Deck, but you haven't yet made it possible to access various game launchers. Here's what you need to do to install these.

1. Press the three-dot button on the right of the Steam Deck. This is the Quick Access Menu button (QAM).
2. Go to the outlet Plugin tab at the bottom and click on the small cogwheel Settings button.
3. Change the Store Channel drop-down menu to Testing.
4. Press the QAM button again and select the Store button next to settings.
5. Scroll down and install the NonSteamLaunchers app.
6. Press Install again.
7. Press the QAM button and select the newly added NonSteamLaunchers app.
8. Select Game Launchers.
9. Toggle on the game launcher you want to use.
10. Scroll down and toggle on Separate Launcher Folders.
11. Next select Install. Wait while installation completes.
12. When done, press the Steam button.
13. Go to Library.
14. Use R1 to switch to the Non-Steam apps and select the launcher you just added.
15. Select Play to open the game launcher app.

4. Download any other widgets or plugins you want

Decky Loader offers some really helpful features including the ability to add Discord to Steam Deck, install a video recorder, and add a better screenshot saving process. Here's what you need to do to install these widgets.

1. Press the QAM button.
2. Go to the Plugin tab and click on the Store icon.
3. Browse the list and install any widgets and plugins that look cool.

All game launchers that work with Decky Loader

As of the time of writing, these are the game launchers that currently work on Steam Deck via Decky Loader.

• Amazon Games
• Battle.net
• EA app
• Epic Games
• Gog Galaxy
• Humble Bundle Games
• IndieGala Client
• Itch.io
• Legacy Games
• PlayStation Plus
• Rockstar Games Launcher
• Ubisoft Connect

Just because a game launcher is put on Steam Deck does not mean that it has controller support. You might need to find workarounds to get the Steam Deck controls to work with certain games.

Now you can access a ton of cool features and various game launchers on Steam Deck

With these steps taken, your Steam Deck is now capable of accessing far more features and game launchers than it initially could.

Take some time to explore within Decky Loader to see all of the plugins and widgets it provides you with. You might find you like some of the new settings provided.

Remember that you will still need to log in to whatever game launcher services you access through Decky Loader, so be ready to enter your account information before you can start playing your different game libraries.

Controller support isn't always guaranteed to work on some of these services. As such, you might need to connect a keyboard and mouse to play certain games or try to find other solutions to play on Steam Deck.

What you need to know

• Some Fortnite players on Xbox platforms (including Xbox Cloud Gaming) are reporting running into issues.
• Reported issues include a failure to log into the game, or having Fortnite completely crash.
• Epic Games is currently investigating the issues.

If you're running into problems while trying to have fun in Absolute Doom, you're not alone. 

A number of players are reporting different issues when playing Fortnite across Xbox right now, from Xbox console users to players using Xbox Cloud Gaming. Some of the issues include being unable to log into Fortnite, or having the game unexpectedly crash for no apparent reason. The developers at Epic Games are aware of the issues, and are currently trying to figure out the cause. 

"We're aware of instability on Xbox platforms (Including Xbox Cloud Gaming) that may lead to crashing and apparent login failures," the team writes on Twitter (X). The team is investigating and we'll let you know when we have more info."

We'll be sure to update this article as more information comes in. 

Fortnite is bringing in Doom

These issues come just after the kick-off for Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5 Season 4: Absolute Doom. As the name implies, this season brings Marvel's Doctor Doom into Fortnite, and he's taken control of a chunk of the island with his army, including the iconic Doombot.

Players are fighting back across new points of interest by gathering special Marvel hero gear, such as War Machine's Arsenal, Auto Turrets, and Hover Jets. There's also a number of unvaulted weapons like the Striker Burst Rifle, Ranger Pistol, and Hyper SMG. Captain America's shield — first included all the way back during an Avengers: Endgame event — has also returned, letting players throw and fight with newfound heroism. 

Fortnite Battle Royale is currently available as a free-to-play game across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.

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What you need to know

• Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 first launched back in October 2023.
• Remedy promised that the game would get a photo mode, but didn't have an exact date in mind. 
• The latest update for Alan Wake 2 brings photo mode, allowing players to explore their inner photographer and capture the game's haunting beauty. 
• Night Springs, the first story DLC for Alan Wake 2, is also available as of today.

The Dark Place is calling again. 

The latest update for Alan Wake 2 is now available on all platforms, bringing the promised photo mode alongside a number of fixes for the game, particularly for Xbox console players. 

This update also comes alongside the launch of Night Springs, the first DLC for Alan Wake 2 that was shown off just a day earlier during the Summer Game fest live show. Night Springs is included in the Deluxe Edition of Alan Wake 2, but standard edition buyers can simply upgrade to the Deluxe Edition in order to access it. You can find the full patch notes for Alan Wake 2's latest update below:

• Night Springs Expansion
• Added Photo Mode
• Increased manual save slots from 3 to 6
• Added Razer Chroma support on PC
• Improved Xbox Series S game stability
• Improvements to Xbox Series audio synchronization issues
• Improved lighting in several areas of the game
• Multiple minor fixes and improvements for a better experience 
• Chapter Select: Added a missing chapter combination for the end game (Return 7 – Initiation 9)
• Fixed a rare instance of player character becoming unresponsive when falling on the ground after a sequence of attacks (Removed realism, check.)
• Fixed an issue that would bring up Saga’s Mind Place UI prompts when loading into a session with Alan. (This was not an intentional meta play.)
• Fixed multiple instances of camera clipping issues on ultrawide monitors on PC

Analysis: Going back to the loop

Alan Wake 2 was one of my favorite games of 2023, and it's been amazing to see its reception, from garnering awards to becoming Remedy Entertainment's fastest-selling game ever. I hope more people hop in now that photo mode is here, and I always look forward to seeing the impressive captures players are able to achieve using that tool. As for me, I feel a replay coming on once I go through Night Springs, which looks absolutely wild in the best possible way as its stories branch across three very different characters.

In my review of Alan Wake 2, I wrote that "Alan Wake 2 is raw, making it a brutal experience that shouldn't be missed by longtime Remedy fans or newcomers drawn by promises of terror. It's a story that examines what it means to be a writer and balance expectations from an audience, matched with satisfying combat that bloodily earns its place as a horror game."

Alan Wake 2 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via the Epic Games Store), and PlayStation 5. A physical deluxe edition and collector's edition are currently in available for preorder.

What you need to know

• Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 is now over 1.3 million copies sold. 
• The game had sold over a million by the end of 2023, with an addition 300,000 copies sold as February 2024.
• While Alan Wake 2 isn't profitable yet, the game has made back a "significant" part of its development costs. 
• Alan Wake 2 first launched on Oct. 27, 2023, and is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. 

One of the many critically-acclaimed games of 2023 is tracking well in sales.

Alan Wake 2 crossed 1.3 million sold, Remedy Entertainment shared on Friday. The company confirmed that the survival-horror title — which first launched back on Oct. 27, 2023 — reached a million copies sold by the end of 2023, with an additional 300,000 copies sold as of February 2024. 

“We are happy with the start of Alan Wake 2’s sales. The price point has also remained at a high level, and the game has already recouped a significant part of the development and marketing expenses. We will continue to develop the game to serve existing fans and attract new players and expect the game to continue selling well," said Remedy Entertainment CEO Tero Virtala. 

What's next for Remedy Entertainment?

While the team has released a number of patches and updates for Alan Wake 2 so far, including the New Game+ mode, there's more coming to this dark story. Remedy is currently working on two story expansions, Night Springs and Lake House. The former will have players step into the shoes of multiple characters across episodes of the in-universe Night Springs TV show, while the latter involves investigating a top secret government research station on the edge of Cauldron Lake.

Outside of Alan Wake 2, Remedy is currently working with Rockstar Games on remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2, as well as a full sequel to the 2019 game Control, the latter of which takes place in the same universe as Alan Wake. Remedy is also working on a co-op PvE (player vs. environment) spinoff title in the same universe as Control and Alan Wake, alongside a recently-rebooted live service game.

Per Remedy, the Max Payne remakes and Control sequel are both slated to make major development progress this year and reach new milestones.

Analysis: Deserved success

I'll freely admit I was a big concerned that Alan Wake 2 wouldn't find a huge audience and that it could struggle in sales, especially given what a packed year for big releases 2023 was. I'm happy that the game is selling well, and as long as things stay steady, it should become profitable this year. 

In my review of Alan Wake 2, I wrote that "Alan Wake 2 is raw, making it a brutal experience that shouldn't be missed by longtime Remedy fans or newcomers drawn by promises of terror. It's a story that examines what it means to be a writer and balance expectations from an audience, matched with satisfying combat that bloodily earns its place as a horror game."

Alan Wake 2 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.

What you need to know

• Epic Games is the video game publisher and developer best known for creating Fortnite, as well as the uber-popular game development kit Unreal Engine.
• Disney is investing big in games, acquiring a stake in Epic Games for $1.5 billion.
• The investment will see Disney and Epic Games collaborate on "an all-new games and entertainment universe."

Another big player is tossing a lot of money into the gaming industry. 

Disney is investing $1.5 billion in Epic Games, as shared in a press release on Wednesday. This collaboration between the two will result in a "an all-new games and entertainment universe," that will function in some capacity alongside Fortnite, pulling on Disney brands like Avatar and Star Wars. You can see the announcement trailer for the partnership below:

“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe,” said Robert A. Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, adding that “This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion. We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways.”

“Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio,” said Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games. “Now we’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”

What does this mean for Fortnite players?

In the short term, nothing will be changing. Looking ahead, we've seen Epic Games' studios work on smaller-sized games inside of Fortnite. It's possible this Disney collaboration could look pretty similar, just at a much larger scale. 

Different worlds themed after various Disney properties could each have their own sub-games, providing changing experiences based on what someone is most interested in. Whatever the case, we know that this new project will be build using Unreal Engine. 

What does this mean for Epic Games?

This is the latest in a number of big investments garnered by Epic Games, with the company previously receiving over $1 billion as Sony acquired a stake. Despite these prior infusions, the company laid off 870 employees last year, or around 16% of the total workforce, due to poor choices in spending on the Fortnite Creator program, as well as extended legal battles.

Analysis: A smart team-up

While I remain sour on the concept of the "Metaverse" as has been bandied about by investors (though it's fallen by the wayside in favor of "AI" lately) I do maintain that of every company out there, Epic Games' vision of Fortnite is the closest thing to a gaming metaverse that we've really seen. 

Teaming up with Disney (and receiving a needed infusion of cash) makes total sense, and we could potentially get some great gaming experiences out of this. I'm looking forward to learning more. 

What you need to know

• The GOTY Edition of Fallout 3 that includes all five of the game's DLC expansions is available for free right now on the Epic Games Store, and once you claim it, you'll get to keep it forever.
• This offer is only available until December 24, 2023 at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET, so make sure you take advantage of it today before it goes off the table.
• Fallout 3 was Bethesda's first Fallout game, and is also widely regarded as one of its best RPGs. Even today, 15 years later, it remains a fan-favorite.
• Codes for the Steam version of the game are also heavily discounted right now, and you can play it on Xbox through Xbox Game Pass.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and piles of presents were nestled under the tree. Yet all your heart yearned for was a copy of Fallout 3. With great sadness, you realized to get it would cost a fee. Yet, there was no reason to fret, my dear friend — the Epic Games Store offered it for free!

...or something. It's actually December 23, so it's not quite the night before Christmas yet, but you get the point: the ultimate Game of the Year edition of Fallout 3 that includes all five of its DLC expansions is being offered for free right now on the Epic Games Store, and once you claim it, you'll get to keep the fan-favorite RPG forever. This offer is only available until December 24, 2023 at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET, though, so make sure you take advantage of it today before it comes off the table.

Released back in 2008, Fallout 3 was the first game in the franchise that developer Bethesda put together after acquiring the post-apocalyptic RPG series from Interplay Entertainment in 2007. It's also notable for being the first Fallout game in a 3D space; previous titles had an isometric 2D perspective.

Set in 2277 — 36 years after the events of Fallout 2, and 200 after nuclear war devastated the world — Fallout 3 takes place in what used to be parts of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. that are now known as the "Capital Wasteland." The player takes control of a young adult who's spent their entire life in a specialized underground bunker known as Vault 101, though after their father mysteriously leaves the Vault and heads to the outside wasteland, they too venture out to look for him.

During your journey as "The Lone Wanderer," you'll come across countless different settlements and factions in the open world, and will be able to interact with them in a number of different ways. Quests also have plenty of varied outcomes depending on choices you make and actions you take, and attentive players will also be able to find tons of unique weapons, armors, and pieces of fascinating lore that flesh out the Capital Wasteland. Additionally, as you level, you'll be able to rank up different skills that improve how effective you are at persuasion, healing, sneaking around undetected, and pretty much everything else you can do.

It may be over 15 years old now (goodness, time flies), but Fallout 3 still stands tall as one of Bethesda's best RPG titles, and also one of the best Xbox games and best PC games for fans of the genre. Honestly, dated graphics aside, I'd even say it's a better game than Starfield — and right now, you can get it for free and keep it forever. Why not pick it up?

If you're not a fan of the Epic Games Store and would prefer to own Fallout 3 on Steam, you can currently get a Steam code for the base game for just $2.13 on GreenManGaming thanks to its Winter Sale, with the GOTY Edition only a few dollars more at $5.61. You can also get a copy of the GOTY Edition on Xbox for a few dollars off on Amazon right now. Additionally, on both Xbox and PC, Fallout 3 is playable through Xbox Game Pass, though annoyingly, only the PC version includes the game’s DLC.

What you need to know

• Alan Wake 2 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC via the Epic Games Store, and PlayStation 5. 
• Some Xbox players have been reporting an issue where audio drops intermittently early in the game. 
• The latest patch provided by developer Remedy Entertainment provides a workaround fix for this issue, with a "full fix" to come later on. 

More fixes are here for one of the year's most unique games.

Developer Remedy Entertainment shared the latest patch notes for Alan Wake 2, with the newest update providing a "workaround" for an audio issue that has plagued perplexed players on Xbox Series X|S consoles. The audio problem caused the game's audio to cut out intermittently or entirely, usually extremely early on, about halfway through the game's first chapter.

Remedy Entertainment notes that a "full fix" is on the way in a future update, though there's no exact details for what that means or what the difference is in the workaround fix provided right now. 

Is Alan Wake 2 is receiving rapid patches?

While this long-awaited sequel has been well-received critically, Alan Wake 2 launched with a bevy of technical issues even after the developers patched some problems that persisted throughout the game's review period. Remedy has been extremely efficient so far, with the prior patch fixing over 200 issues in Alan Wake 2 across all platforms, while also improving image quality on Xbox Series S. 

Analysis: Hopefully a solid stop-gap measure

Having audio issues is never fun, especially in a game that sounds as good as Alan Wake 2. Hopefully this quick fix tides most players over until the problem can be stomped out for good. 

In my review of Alan Wake 2, I wrote that the game "also features crisp audio work, from the broken-record chattering of Taken to howling wind through the trees. Remedy doesn't usually disappoint on the soundtrack front and that's the case here, with a massive collection of music. The track list is especially bolstered thanks to the Old Gods of Asgard, an in-universe band that first appeared in the first Alan Wake, performed by real-life band Poets of the Fall."

Turn the tables on the Taken. 

Remedy Entertainment's survival-horror game Alan Wake 2 features two protagonists, Saga Anderson and the titular writer Alan Wake. Each of them has a collection of weapons they can grab in order to fight back the shadowy Taken, people and animals possessed by the powers of The Dark Place.

While there's overlap in other places, Saga Anderson alone gets access to one of the more unique weapons in the game, the crossbow. Here's how to unlock it. 

How to get the crossbow in Alan Wake 2

In order to get the crossbow, you'll need to be playing as Saga Anderson. You'll also need to have finished the first five chapters of the game, Return 1 and 2, and Initiation 1, 2, and 3. 

This means that the earliest you can possibly get the crossbow is in Rebirth 3: Local Girl, but you're not locked out if you initially went past it. As long as you haven't started the endgame yet (a process that is explicitly warned by the game) then you can go back at any point to get the crossbow. 

With that important information out of the way, you can find the crossbow in Watery. Simply go up the hill past the first point where you get attacked by ax-throwing Taken. You'll eventually come up on a safe house with a Cult Stash nearby, as marked on the map above. 

In order to get the cult stash open, you'll need to enter the correct code. It's a bit obtuse, but you'll notice there's a large amount of crossbow bolts embedded in nearby targets, and that's the secret of figuring out the code. You need to count the bolts that are clustered together and enter them in order, which means the code is 527. 

Once you've got it open, you can grab the crossbow and the nearby bolts! Make sure you've got enough space in your inventory, if you don't, then go to the shoebox in the nearby safe house and store some items you won't be using. 

The crossbow is slow to reload, but it does heavy damage per shot, and you can sometimes retrieve the bolts as long as you didn't miss your target. This means it's a great weapon to open up combat with before switching to your shotgun or pistol. 

A dark journey awaits

Alan Wake 2 is a challenging, emotional adventure that finally brings a new chapter to the story of Alan Wake. He's trapped in The Dark Place, but his fate is colliding with that of FBI detective Saga Anderson in surprising ways.

In our review of Alan Wake 2, I wrote that "Alan Wake 2 isn't flawless. In fact, it might be Remedy Entertainment's most imperfect game. Despite that, it's also my favorite title from the studio's storied history, lending weight to Alan Wake's 2 ability to enrapture you every darkness-laced step of the way."

What you need to know

• Alan Wake 2 is Remedy Entertainment's latest game, shifting from thriller into full-blown horror. 
• Remedy is currently working on a photo mode for Alan Wake 2, as well as a New Game+ mode. 
• New Game+, referred to a "Final Draft," will have extra manuscript pages and more to find.
• Alan Wake 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.

The Darkness has returned.

Alan Wake 2 is here, and while development studio Remedy Entertainment has put together a horror story for players to explore, the game's launch isn't the end. Remedy is currently working on a photo mode for Alan Wake 2, though there's no expected release window for this feature right now. 

Anyone who wants to go back through the game for a second run may want to time it carefully, as the developers are also working on a New Game+ mode, known as the Final Draft. This New Game+ mode will allow players go back through starting with all unlocked weapons and upgrades, but there's also some narrative "tweaks" to find, as additional manuscript pages and new video content will flesh out the story even further. 

As the studio has previously confirmed, things won't be stopping there either, as there's two story expansions on the way. The first expansion, Night Springs, will have players undertaking several episodes of the titular in-universe TV show as multiple different characters. The second expansion, Lake House, follows events at a research facility on Cauldron Lake where things go wrong. Night Springs is currently slated to launch at some point in late Spring 2024, while Lake House does not have a release window.

In our review of Alan Wake 2, I wrote that "It's a messy, imperfect narrative that doesn't even try to wrap up every plot thread, but delivers a raw, emotional ride. Solid third-person survival horror-gameplay helps carry that journey outside of a handful of technical issues."

Alan Wake 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC via the Epic Games Store, and PlayStation 5.

"It's not a lake, it's an ocean."

Those final words have haunted players for years, prompting theories as to just what titular writer Alan Wake realized. Now, over thirteen years since the original game — and a couple of years since Alan Wake was remastered — we've got some answers. But answers are like deep-sea diving; the more you learn, the more questions there are to ask. 

Alan Wake 2 is a messy game. The plot takes big leaps and doesn't always land on its feet. In doing so however, it weaves a fantastic tale of clawing your way through the hopeless dark. Some technical issues aside, it's a masterwork of emotion, and a game that shows developer Remedy Entertainment still has plenty of surprises up its sleeves.

Disclaimer: This review was made possible by review codes provided by Remedy Entertainment and Epic Games. The companies did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

Second disclaimer: Unusually, this game was mostly reviewed on PlayStation 5. This is because PlayStation codes were the first available, and Xbox codes only became available shortly before the Alan Wake 2 review embargo lifted. My colleagues Jez Corden and Zachary Boddy tested the Xbox and PC versions of Alan Wake 2, respectively. 

What is Alan Wake 2?

Alan Wake 2 is a third-person survival-horror game and the long-awaited sequel to the 2010 game, Alan Wake. It's also set in the same universe as developer Remedy Entertainment's 2019 game, Control.

In Alan Wake 2, players control two characters: Alan Wake and Saga Anderson. Alan and Saga each have some unique gameplay mechanics, but both must fight using guns, flares, flashbangs, and flashlights against the Taken, creatures of darkness that are formed by corrupting a human or animal. Alan is trapped in the mysterious and dangerous dimension known as The Dark Place, while Saga is exploring Bright Falls, the setting of the first game.

In addition to combat, players will have to solve puzzles, with some required for progressing the main story and others that aren't necessary but unlock rewards like more gear. An average playthrough will take 16 hours or so, though that time could easily go up if you get stuck on a particular puzzle or choose to explore extremely thoroughly. 

Alan Wake 2 review: Story and characters

The story is at the center of Alan Wake 2, with Remedy bringing a cavalcade of ideas to the forefront of its dark universe. Alan Wake is desperately trying to escape The Dark Place, attempting to write a story that can get him out of this nightmare world where he's hunted by shadows and constantly interviewed by the mysterious Mr. Door. Meanwhile, newcomer Saga Anderson is an FBI agent investigating a series of murders in the small coastal town of Bright Falls that show signs of cult activity. 

While neither protagonist knows it, both are being drawn together, their lives irrevocably tangled in a complicated plot. Without going into spoilers — something that's harder than usual here — themes of families and loops show up constantly, as both characters are going in literal circles to try to save the people they care about while still getting out alive. Juggling two protagonists was a bold choice, but it pays off with how both Saga and Alan get to shine, and the entire cast here turns in excellent performances.

The structure here is best described as chaotic, which is as enrapturing as it is uneven. If Control was Remedy skillfully painting a picture with restraint, holding back for the cleanest brushstrokes for fear of making a mistake, then Alan Wake 2 is an artist's rage unleashed, throwing buckets of paint onto a wild, unrestrained mural. 

There are big story swings where careful attention and theorizing pays off, but for every question answered, another three will trail off without ever being seen. Remedy has always been self-aware, giving nods to the complexity and unanswered questions its stories raise within the games themselves, but things have been taken up to an eleven here. 

Alan Wake 2 is metatextual to a level that makes Remedy's prior works look simple by comparison. Even if not everything works or feels completely earned, this is a story that's unafraid to lash out wildly, weaving a tale of desperate people clawing their way through the hopeless dark. 

Alan Wake 2 review: Gameplay and customization

Both Saga and Alan get access to a variety of firearms and light-based explosives in order to fight the Taken. You'll rarely face more than a couple of enemies at a time, but these foes hit hard and will require a fair amount of ammo to put down even when playing on normal. 

Light isn't just a weapon, but a refuge, with the Taken unable to see you when you're staying in brightly-lit safe points. These safe points give you a chance to manage your inventory and, after playing the first few chapters of the game, swap between protagonists. Outside of the opening levels and the lengthy endgame, you can play Alan and Saga's stories in any order you want. I chose to alternate after every chapter, but if you want to finish one and then the other, that's totally viable. 

Some gear is unmissable, but there's also a lot you can find if you're willing to explore and solve some puzzles. These puzzles are sometimes surprisingly complex, and I found myself having to scan the environment carefully for clues to get an idea of how to proceed or unlock an extra gun. Alan Wake 2 is more convoluted than many other narrative-focused games of the last few years, which isn't at all a bad thing — but it's going to make you think. 

That's shown more directly in the unique gameplay mechanics that Saga and Alan employ. As an FBI detective, Saga has access to the Mind Place, a mental room where she can relax and sort through any clues she's found so far. While initially this process can seem a little basic, over time you'll collect hundreds of pieces of evidence that are filed into different cases, making it easier to understand what's going on or figure out your next goal. 

Alan's abilities are different. As a writer trapped in a nightmare dimension that feeds on art and twists it into existence, Alan has the ability to rewrite the story he's in as long as it matches the horror/thriller genre, collecting story ideas and using them to alter everything around him. Setting a story of two sordid police officers in a theater might open up one path while closing off others, and telling a tale of grisly cult activity in abandoned tunnels can clear away rubble.

During my playthrough, I unfortunately encountered a number of "soft-lock" bugs that required me to reload an older save. This usually only took me back a few minutes, but it was irritating every time. Remedy released a patch the day I'm writing this (Oct. 25) that fixed some of these progression-barring bugs, so players who jump in at launch should have a smoother experience than I did; players should save often, though, just in case.

Alan Wake 2 review: Visuals and audio

Alan Wake 2 is aesthetically gorgeous, with Remedy's proprietary Northlight engine technology powering imposing visuals. All the characters look great with realistic performance capture, to the point that the live-action snippets that Remedy is so fond of never felt jarring. 

The lush green forests of Bright Falls are hauntingly realized, its natural, peaceful beauty simmering with ugliness underneath. The shadowy realm of The Dark Place is given similar attention, as shades lurch and neon signs burn in a twisted version of New York City. This is truly a horror game, and it earns its M-rating with abandon. Gore is front and present with the Taken that Saga fights, with the possessed lurching on even as chunks of flesh are ripped out from gunfire and bones are exposed.

Remedy has always pioneered warping, dream-like visual effects, and those are cranked into overdrive here, as worlds blend together and realities bleed into each other in some fairly trippy displays. 

Alan Wake 2 also features crisp audio work, from the broken-record chattering of Taken to howling wind through the trees. Remedy doesn't usually disappoint on the soundtrack front and that's the case here, with a massive collection of music. The track list is especially bolstered thanks to the Old Gods of Asgard, an in-universe band that first appeared in the first Alan Wake, performed by real-life band Poets of the Fall. 

Alan Wake 2 review: Xbox Series X|S performance

Playing the game on Xbox Series X, the game runs at a flawless 30 frames-per-second even in intense moments in Quality mode, and a stable 60 FPS in Performance mode. There are many techniques and aspects of Alan Wake 2's technical design that feel utterly fresh in this kind of game.

The rain and weather effects, some of the best the industry had seen in the first game, once again push the envelope in Alan Wake 2. The seamless switching from the regular environment to Saga's investigative mind map environment is exactly why this game has an SSD requirement, most likely, and why there won't be past-gen versions for consoles.

I had some very infrequent instances where a few lines of dialogue didn't fire, despite subtitles still rolling. I was unable to reproduce some of these issues after rebooting, which means it's likely random. If, though rare, it occurred during a particularly pivotal scene, it could be a tad annoying. 

On Xbox Series S, Alan Wake 2 has no access to the visually-intensive quality mode. The Xbox Series S version does maintain an incredible amount of visual prowess, with dense and animated foliage, impressive lighting, and intense weather effects. The compromises in visual sharpness are apparent, to account for the Xbox Series S' hardware, but the frame rate is also noticeably less consistent. — Jez Corden, Managing Editor

Alan Wake 2 review: Windows PC performance

When Alan Wake 2 revealed its PC spec requirements, we here at Windows Central heard the collective groan of the internet. This game is a technical and visual showcase, but it's also one of the most taxing PC games we've seen this generation. This is the title to bring any gaming PC to its knees, which means I was chosen to test it. After all, I've been using the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8), a high-end tower PC powered by an Intel Core i9-13900K, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, 32GB of RAM, and a high-speed SSD.

Even with so much power at my disposal (some of the most powerful components you can find in any gaming PC), getting to a stable 60 FPS in Alan Wake 2 wasn't that simple. Let's do some tests:

• With every setting turned up to the max and full ray tracing enabled, at native 1440p, and no NVIDIA DLSS or AMD FSR of any kind (including Ray Construction), I saw a pretty stable 30 FPS.
• With the same settings, but using AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling (set to the "Balanced" preset) rather than native 1440p, I was able to get between 50-60 FPS on average.
• Still keeping the same settings but enabling NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling upscaling (set to the "Quality" preset) rather than native 1440p, and enabling DLSS Ray Construction, I was able to get the same 50-60 FPS as the above, but with a higher native resolution.
• Lowering the DLSS resolution upscaling to the "Balanced" preset is where I finally got a stable, consistent 60 FPS with all visual settings maxed.
• Enabling NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation on the above settings got me around 100 FPS, but this felt noticeably less smooth than the 60 FPS I already had before enabling it.
• Finally, I played the game at my native 1440p resolution with no resolution upscaling and the nicest "High" preset (both for graphics and ray tracing), which lowers volumetric lighting quality and shadow details slightly versus max settings. Without ray tracing I was able to get 110-120 FPS on average. With ray tracing (and DLSS Ray Construction), I saw pretty stable performance of 65-70 FPS.

That's a lot of numbers to basically say — Alan Wake 2 is a monster of a video game. This will likely be a new benchmark for gaming PCs for years to come, especially when testing ray tracing effects. Those with NVIDIA RTX GPUs will have an easier time getting stable framerates with ray tracing enabled than those with AMD GPUs, thanks to DLSS Ray Construction giving an extra 5-6 stable frames-per-second on average.

Overall, though, the game felt smooth regardless of my settings (with the exception of using DLSS Frame Generation). There were no dropped frames or noticeable stutters; it's just a matter of finding the balance for your hardware. My advice? Stick with the presets, and then change the resolution upscaling until you reach the framerate you want. Each step down noticeably improved my performance with hardly any noticeable degradation to visuals.

One thing is for sure, though. This game is gorgeous. — Zachary Boddy, Staff Writer

Alan Wake 2 review: Accessibility and approachability

Unfortunately, Alan Wake 2 is fairly threadbare on accessibility features. There are some features, such as the ability to add speaker names to subtitles or difficulty settings, but there's no extensive list of options. While I'm not personally sensitive, it's worth mentioning there are number of jump scares with sudden black-and-white imagery that may give people problems if they are susceptible to strobe effects or bright lights. 

If you're new to horror games, I highly recommend playing on the Story difficulty, as the Normal setting is still quite challenging and can be fairly demanding in boss fights. As for more general approachability, while players can gather some details from context, you'll want to have already played Alan Wake in order to understand the setting. Going through the connected Control isn't a bad idea either. 

Alan Wake 2 review: Should you buy it?

This game is as messy as it is beautiful. Technical issues mar otherwise-stellar presentation, and while a lot of these issues have been fixed, players should proceed with caution all the same. Outside of bugs and glitches, not every beat in the story lands or goes unanswered in a satisfactory way. 

Related: Should you play Alan Wake 1 before playing Alan Wake 2? 

Even so, Alan Wake 2 is raw, making it a brutal experience that shouldn't be missed by longtime Remedy fans or newcomers drawn by promises of terror. It's a story that examines what it means to be a writer and balance expectations from an audience, matched with satisfying combat that bloodily earns its place as a horror game.

Alan Wake 2 isn't flawless. In fact, it might be Remedy Entertainment's most imperfect game. Despite that, it's also my favorite title from the studio's storied history, lending weight to Alan Wake's 2 ability to enrapture you every darkness-laced step of the way.

What you need to know

• Alan Wake 2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Alan Wake of 2010.
• The game features both the return of Alan and a new character Saga.
• Saga gameplay will focus on horror survival, while Alan will be trapped in the Dark Place, facing equally dangerous puzzle mechanics.
• The game launches this Friday, October 27th.

Alan Wake is an action-adventure horror game beloved by millions across the globe. Over 13 years ago, Remedy created something special that left gamers thirsting for more; needing more, if you're me. This Friday, just in time for Halloween and two weeks removed from Friday the 13th, Alan Wake 2 will be released.

The intricately detailed story of Alan Wake, driven from this world by the writing of his own words, now comes to the forefront in this sequel. While you'll remain in control of the titular character for half the game, the remainder will cover the story of Saga. A rather cleverly named character, Saga, is searching for the missing Wake, who's being held within the Dark Place. 

From Xbox Wire, Principle Narrative Designer Molly Maloney explains, “She provides an inroad for new players to the franchise. She has a fresh pair of eyes entering Bright Falls – she also gives us a way to be in Bright Falls… Having Saga here to take in the situation from an outside, unbiased perspective, trying to analyze and understand what’s going on here, is really critical to the telling of the story.” 

According to Joe Skrebels, who had his hands on it, the gameplay will be reminiscent of the original title but expect Wake to be focused on puzzle mechanics, and Saga to be the survival horror show. 

"Saga’s also a key part of embedding you in the new gameplay ideas here too. While Alan’s sections are more (but not entirely) focused on puzzling, it’s Saga who exemplifies Alan Wake 2’s shift into full-blown survival horror. Where the original game saw a slightly uneasy mix of dark, measured storytelling and action set-pieces, Saga’s sections drop us into a slower-paced, more panicky form of combat."

Instead of the traditional inventory menu during Saga sequences, players will be taken to a room that characterizes the inner workings of Saga's brain. A full-on case board lines the wall, a desk suited for profiling suspects, and a TV to replay in-game videos you find. Players will use this "room" frequently during their playthrough to profile characters to uncover the mystery surrounding Wake's disappearance. 

Alan Wake 2 drops this Friday, on October 27th for Xbox X|S, Windows, and PlayStation 5.

What you need to know

• Rocket League is developed and published by Psyonix. It was originally released in July 2015 on PlayStation 4 and Windows, with ports to the Switch and Xbox One coming later.
• Psyonix has announced they will be removing a popular feature, Player-to-player item trading, to "more closely align" with Epic Games' policies.
• Item trading will be removed on December 5, 2023 at 4 PM PST. 
• The community response to the announcement has been negative, with some going so far as to create and sign a Change.org petition.

Psyonix has announced that it will be removing a popular component of it's free-to-play "soccer with cars" title, Rocket League. Player-to-player trading will be removed on December 5 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET. 

According to the developer, the decision to sunset player trading was necessary for Rocket League to comply with Epic Games' policies on item shops. Epic's overall approach to game cosmetics limits items from being traded, transferrable, or sellable. It has long been a component of Rocket League's EULA and TOS agreements that players would not engage in out-of-game trading or selling of in-game reward items.

That hasn't been enough to cool down the community-based item economy for Rocket League, however. Sites like Rocket League Garage have become community hubs that track the ever-growing list of in-game items and provide a safe venue for finding partners for off-game trading. Psyonix says that communities such as Rocket League Garage, which boasts a community of more than 5 million registered users, will now be treated as "fraudulent".

Player feedback to the announcement has been overwhelmingly negative, with some disgruntled fans even going so far as to create a Change.org petition to protest the removal. The crackdown on out-of-game trading comes on the heels of layoffs at Epic Games, which stems from the publisher's recent crop of financial shortcomings. 

Rocket League's player trading capabilities allowed users to alleviate the FOMO that Epic Games typically relies on for monetization of in-game item shops. Removing the ability to trade or borrow an item from a friend means players who want an item will have no choice other than to purchase items while available in the item shop or miss out on it entirely. Psyonix has said that the move toward eliminating trades will open Rocket League up to cross promotions with other Epic Games platforms which may support cross buying features.

The decision to eliminate trading may degrade the Rocket League community to a point that Psyonix will not need to be concerned with cross-buying functions in the future, however. 

What you need to know

• Epic Games is the developer and publisher of Fortnite, as well as the team responsible for developing and maintaining Unreal Engine. 
• According to Bloomberg, Epic Games is laying off 870 employees, or around 16% of its total workforce. 
• Epic Games is also reportedly divesting two prior acquisitions, selling music website Bandcamp and spinning off marketing company SuperAwesome.

The story of layoffs in 2023 across the video game industry continues. 

According to a report from Bloomberg, Epic Games is laying off 870 employees, which is about 16% of the total company workforce. Epic Games is well-known as the developer of massively popular free-to-play title Fortnite, as well as being the developer behind Unreal Engine, with the latest iteration, Unreal Engine 5, fully launching back in April 2022.

Any employees affected by the layoffs are reportedly receiving six months of severance pay and healthcare, in addition to faster stock vesting.

Epic Games is also reportedly divesting two acquisitions, with music website Bandcamp being sold to Songtradr, while marketing company SuperAwesome will be spun out independently.

In an email to employees, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that "For a while now, we've been spending way more money than we earn," and that the Fortnite Creator program does not have the same margins as Fortnite. According to Sweeney, no more layoffs are planned at the company.

This comes as 2023 has been struck with layoffs and studio closures all around the gaming industry. The last few weeks alone have seen Embracer Group-owned Volition being closed, while Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios and Total War developer Creative Assembly have been hit with layoffs. 

Analysis: 2023 needs to stop

I'm really, really sick of writing about layoffs. It's hard to watch companies make money and lay off the people who make that money possible. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the coming months, and I hope more developers pay attention to the unionization efforts that have begun in earnest over the last several months. 

As for Epic Games, it still feels weird that these layoffs are happening no extra context as to what's going on at the company. Maybe more light will be shed as time goes on. 

What you need to know

• During Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2023, Remedy Entertainment showed a new trailer for Alan Wake 2.
• The trailer is focused on Alan Wake, who is trapped in the Dark Place.
• Alan Wake 2 is scheduled to launch on Oct. 27, 2023.

Ready for a glimpse of the Dark Place?

To close out the show for Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2023, Remedy Entertainment showed up with another trailer for Alan Wake 2. Unlike the Summer Game Fest 2023 gameplay, which focused on co-protagonist Saga Anderson, this trailer is all about the horror that titular writer Alan Wake is currently trapped in, which seems to include the world of the mysterious Mr. Door.

In classic Remedy style, the trailer also fuses live-action scenes with bits of gameplay, adding to the surreal nature of everything happening. You can check out the trailer below:

During the trailer, we also hear mention of Alan's doppleganger, the illusive Mr. Scratch. There are monsters coming after Alan, who is desperate to escape the Dark Place and be "written out of the story."

Alan Wake 2 is slated to arrive on Oct. 27, 2023, after being delayed by just a few days. It'll be available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 as a digital-only release.

Analysis: Scratching at my brain

Remedy is providing more and more teases, and while none of these trailers have been substantial in nature, it's clear there's a big mystery at the heart of the narrative. In particular, I'm curious about how everything with Mr. Door falls into place, as he seems to be hosting a talk show in the Dark Place that Alan is an unwilling guest on. 

And just what is Mr. Scratch up to?

What you need to know

• During Summer Game Fest, Remedy Entertainment showed up to reveal some gameplay footage from Alan Wake 2. 
• The gameplay shows survival horror as the second protagonist, Saga Anderson, is attacked by a monster in the body of a murder victim.
• Alan Wake 2 is currently slated to launch on Oct. 17, 2023, where it will be available across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.

The latest story from the creators at Remedy Entertainment is shaping up to be their spookiest yet. 

During Summer Game Fest 2023, Remedy Entertainment revealed some new gameplay footage for Alan Wake 2, showing how Saga Anderson (a new playable character) is attacked by a monster born from a murder victim. You can take a look at the gameplay footage below:

Creative director Sam Lake explains that the game is split between the two protagonists, Saga and Alan Wake, "50-50" and that "there are no right ways" to go about swapping between the two. Saga and Alan will both face unique challenges and dangers, with connections between them revealed as the story unfolds.

Alan Wake 2 is currently scheduled to arrive on Oct. 17 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. The game is a digital exclusive, and is not currently getting a physical release.

Windows Central's take

Yes, yes, yes. Remedy has been hyping up how this game will be the studio's first true survival horror game, and while I wish the gameplay demonstration had been longer, it still looks like everything I want. 

What you need to know

• Alan Wake 2 is being developed Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games.
• Speaking on a podcast, voice actor Matthew Perretta indicated that Alan Wake 2 is slated to launch in October 2023. 
• Remedy Entertainment previously reiterated that Alan Wake 2 will be arriving at some point in 2023. 

It's that time again, where a game's potential release window might be innocuously revealed in an offhand comment.

Speaking on the Monsters, Madness and Magic podcast, Alan Wake voice actor Matthew Perretta revealed that Alan Wake 2 is being readied for an October 2023 launch.

"That's supposed to come out in October, we're in the middle of working on it now. In fact, I was just in Finland the last week. That's where the company is from, Remedy, amazing people," Peretta said. You can check out the full podcast below (the conversation regarding Alan Wake starts at about the 16:30 mark). 

In case this gets taken down, I've embedded the audio clip below, courtesy of @Wario64 on Twitter. 

Matthew Perretta has been the voice of Alan Wake throughout the original game and his reappearance in the connected Control, in addition to the upcoming game. Meanwhile, actor Ikka Villi has provided the motion capture and has portrayed Alan Wake in live-action ads and cameos across other games. 

The long-awaited Alan Wake 2 was first revealed back during The Game Awards 2021, with director Sam Lake revealing that this will be Remedy Entertainment's first true horror game. The studio originally intended to show a demo of the game last summer, before deciding instead to continue focusing as deeply as possible on the full development of the game. 

Whenever Alan Wake 2 arrives, it'll be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows PC, and PS5.

Windows Central's take

"Actor says something they probably weren't supposed to" remains one of my favorite subgenres of news, it never gets old. 

This definitely makes sense though. Remedy's been keeping things close to the chest, which is one of the reasons I do believe this game makes it out this year, but it definitely won't be early on in the summer. With Alan Wake 2 being a full horror game, an October release date certainly makes sense, and nicely matches the release window of the remaster two years ago.

What you need to know

• Epic Games Store have launched Epic Rewards, which will reward gamers with 5% back on their purchases.
• The 5% rewards will apply to the purchase of games, apps, add-ons, or virtual currency and can be used as a discount on future purchases.

Do you like free stuff? Of course you do! That’s why you love the Epic Games Store, where you can get free games every week and never spend a dime on anything else... probably (or quite possibly not, considering Epic reports $355 million dollars in third-party spending last year.) But hey, free is free.

The Epic Games Store, has just launched a new reward scheme, named Epic Rewards. Epic Rewards will give customers 5% back, in-store credit, for every eligible purchase they make. 

From today, Epic Rewards can be earned purchases made on the Epic Games Store. So that's games, apps, add-ons, subscriptions and even some virtual currencies like Fortnite V-Bucks. You'll get 5% back as credit to your Epic Rewards account two weeks after your purchase, and show up in your digital wallet to be redeemed on anything you want from the store, if you actually want to pay for anything that is. That being said, there's also a pretty great sale going on right now. 

Still, joking aside, Epic's reward scheme is more generous than Steam and Nintendo's programs, so despite the memes, you can't fault Epic for trying to tempt more customers to its storefront. Steam has Steam Points, which give you 100 points for each dollar spent. These points can't be used against future game purchases though, only cosmetic items for your profile or animated items for supported games.

Nintendo's reward scheme offers Platinum and Gold points, for completing tasks and purchasing games, and these can be redeemed against future purchases but these tend to be at a 1% value rather than 5%. Xbox also has a scheme called Microsoft Rewards, which is actually a rather great way to get Xbox Game Pass for free. 

Epic Reward points also have a generous expiry date on them of 25 months, so if you are a regular customer of the store you'll have plenty of time to build up a balance worthy of another freebie. 

Gaming laptop deals: Dell | Walmart | Lenovo | Best Buy | HP | Amazon | Razer 

Epic is known for offering tons of free games through its store front in its attempts to take on Steam. Death Stranding is available to play for free right now until May 25. Epic also only takes 12% of revenue from developers and publishers, as opposed to Steam's 30%. It hasn't stopped them from getting in gamer's bad books in the past, with their timed exclusivity deals on games like Borderlands 3 leading to outrage on social media from people who just don't want to download yet another launcher.

Do you make purchases from Epic Games, and if not will this win your wallet? Comment below!

Epic Games Store demonstrates platform exclusivity as a modern practice in video game publishing, with specific titles being moved away from Steam, but that hasn't stopped me from playing them on my Steam Deck. Unfortunately, Epic still doesn't offer an official Linux installer for its platform, making it a little tricky. Still, my guide offers two fully-tested methods of installing Epic games on Steam Deck, so take your pick.

Before we get started, know that any apps or games installed outside the official Steam Deck store will default to the console's internal storage, not your microSD card or other external drives, but you can change to the proper directory. Check that you have enough free space on the Steam Deck solid-state drive if you prefer the first option, the size of which depends on which Steam Deck model you chose (64GB, 256GB, or 512GB.)

Installing Epic Games with Heroic Games Launcher

The fastest way to access the Epic Games Store is by using the community-made open-source Heroic Games Launcher app. Designed for Linux, it's compatible with Steam Deck and includes support for GOG Galaxy games too. For now, we'll focus on using it to install titles from the Epic Games Store with some super-simple steps.

How to install Heroic Games Launcher

Heroic can be manually downloaded as a 'Flatpak' archive via Flathub from any Linux PC. Luckily, it's easier to find and install using the Steam Deck, skipping a lot of manual work and getting you to the games much faster.

1. Hit the left-side STEAM button to open the quick menu.
2. Navigate down the list to highlight and select Power.
3. On the power menu, navigate to and select Switch to Desktop.

Alternatively, you can briefly hold down the power button to access the power menu a little faster. A Switching to Desktop ... notification will appear whichever method you choose. After a short wait, the Steam Deck will boot into its Linux desktop environment, just like you would expect on any regular PC.

4. Locate and open the Discover app, which is usually pinned to your taskbar with an icon resembling a blue shopping bag. Otherwise, you can find it in the System tab of the applications menu.
5. Using the search function in the top-left of Discover, look for Heroic Games Launcher.
6. Find Heroic Games Launcher in the list of results and hit Install.

Heroic Games Launcher is the perfect replacement for the official Epic Games Store, but booting into the desktop mode whenever you want to play them isn't too efficient. You can take a few additional steps to have them appear in the library of your Steam Deck alongside regular purchases as a non-Steam game.

7. Return to Steam in desktop mode. Navigate the top-most menu to the Games tab and select Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library ...
8. A new window titled Add a Game will appear with a list of your software. Navigate this list until you find Heroic Games Launcher.
9. Check the box to the left of its title, then hit Add selected programs.
10. Close the Steam application and launch the Return to Gaming Mode shortcut from the desktop or applications menu.

Back in the SteamOS Deck UI, you can find Heroic Games Launcher in the non-Steam game category and use it to install any Epic Games Store title from your account as usual. The downside to using Heroic is you won't have any information on compatibility, such as the list of Steam Deck verified games, so be prepared to troubleshoot any problems yourself. It's undoubtedly the easiest way to access your Epic Games Store library on Steam Deck until a possible return to the Steam store.

Manually install the official Epic Games Store

For the user who prefers complete control over everything happening on their Steam Deck, you can manually install the Epic Games Store for Windows by using the Proton compatibility layer and treating it like a non-Steam game. It's easier than it sounds, and I'll break everything down for you in easy-to-follow steps.

How to install the official Epic Games Store

1. Hit the left-side Steam button to open the quick menu.
2. Navigate down the list to highlight and select Power.
3. On the power menu, navigate to and select Switch to Desktop.

Alternatively, you can briefly hold down the power button to access the power menu a little faster. A Switching to Desktop ... notification will appear whichever method you choose. After a short wait, the Steam Deck will boot into its Linux desktop environment, just like you would expect on any regular PC.

4. Open Firefox (or your preferred web browser) from the taskbar or applications menu and navigate to the official Epic Games Store website.
5. Hit the blue download button to grab the Windows .msi installation file, usually located in the top-right corner of the page.

Alternatively, you can download the EpicInstaller on a separate desktop computer and transfer the file to your Steam Deck via microSD or other methods. Note where the .msi file is located, usually in the default Downloads folder if you used Firefox.

6. Launch the Steam application from your desktop or the applications menu while still in desktop mode.
7. Navigate the top-most menu to the Games tab and select Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library ...
8. A new window titled Add a Game will appear with your software list. Ignore the listed apps; instead, hit the Browse ... button at the bottom.
9. Navigate to the folder containing the "EpicInstaller" file you downloaded earlier and change the File type filter from Applications to All Files; otherwise, it will remain invisible.
10. Select the installation file, then hit Open to have it appear with a checkmark in the Add a game window, then hit Add selected programs.

If you cannot see the EpicInstaller .msi file in its folder, make sure you have changed the File type filter to All Files. Steam Deck defaults to *.desktop extensions, so SteamOS will not recognize Windows installers unless you change this filter.

7. Highlight and right-click (left touchpad) the EpicInstaller in your library on Steam desktop mode and hit Properties.
8. On the left-side menu, select Compatibility and check Force the user of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool.
9. From the drop-down list, select the most recent stable build of Proton, rather than Proton Experimental, to reduce the likelihood of bugs and crashing.
10. Launch EpicInstaller from the non-Steam games category from the desktop version of Steam and follow the instructions to install the software to its default location. The installer will automatically close upon completion, but there's more work to do.

Finalizing the installation

So far, you've successfully installed the Epic Games Store into the filesystem of your Steam Deck. However, it won't open without one extra step to locate and launch it with the Proton compatibility layer. The file we just ran is designed for Windows, and the brains behind your console run on Linux, so we need to tell Steam where to find the installation directory.

Open the Dolphin file manager from the  taskbar or applications menu and navigate to the following directory: home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata

Here, you'll see a collection of folders named as strings of numbers. These folders are the applications and games installed on your Steam Deck, so you need to figure out which one is the Epic Games Store we just installed. Thankfully, it shouldn't be too difficult to find since non-Steam apps have a much higher number than official games, so start at the folder with the longest number and search for the following directory:

.../pfx/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Epic Games/Launcher/Portal/Binaries/Win32

Once you've found it, you should see it contains the EpicGamesLauncher.exe file we need to complete our installation.

1. Inside the Dolphin file manager, right-click (left touchpad) the EpicGamesLauncher.exe file and hit Copy Location.
2. Back in the desktop version of Steam, right-click EpicInstaller and hit Properties.
3. Clear the Target field and paste (STEAM+X opens an on-screen keyboard) the location we just copied. This shows Steam where the .exe file is located.
4. Clear the Start in field and paste the same, but this time delete everything after Program Files (x86)/Epic Games/ to point Steam to the correct Epic Games directory.

These last steps might seem picky, but they explain to Proton where the Windows installation of Epic Games Store is located within your Steam Deck. Thankfully, you're all done with the hard part. If you'd like to make things look a little nicer, you can rename the EpicInstaller to something cleaner like Epic Games Store within the same right-click Properties menu you used on the Steam desktop version.

Installing games and customize artwork

Once you've decided on your method for installing the Epic Games Store, it's time to install some games. Return to Gaming Mode on your Steam Deck via its shortcut on the desktop and navigate to the non-Steam category, where you'll find your Epic Games Store shortcut.

Some pop-up notifications mentioning free games and special offers can cause issues with the screen resolution when running the official software, so consider disabling those under the Desktop notifications section in the Epic Games Store settings menu.

I prefer Heroic Games Launcher since it combines Epic Games Store and GOG Galaxy games into one place, but the Steam Deck offers freedom for its user to choose thanks to the Desktop Mode opening up the Linux backend. If you need artwork for your non-Steam shortcuts, check the community-led website SteamGridDB to make everything look more official in the SteamOS carousel.

Select a non-Steam shortcut while running Desktop Mode to view its page and right-click in the empty space for options to set custom backgrounds, logos, and artwork in portrait and landscape. You'll need to launch an app or game at least once for it to appear in the recently played list and apply landscape art.

Unfortunately, running Epic Games Store through Proton does not circumvent the anti-cheat block of games running on Steam Deck, so you won't be able to play multiplayer games without official support on Linux.

It's still a fantastic method of accessing more single-player games on your Steam Deck, even if some might need some of the best Steam Deck accessories, such as mice and keyboards, due to a lack of official virtual joypad profiles.

If you're reading this to help you decide if Valve's portable PC is worth a purchase, check our full Steam Deck review to see why we love it. Remember: installing even more games and apps outside of SteamOS will take up extra space, so consider external storage such as a microSD card.

What you need to know

• Fall Guys released today on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and is free to play.
• The launch comes with a new season with more rounds, an auto grab function for new players, and a season pass with free and premium rewards.
• Fall Guys now supports cross-progression and cross-platform play with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Wipeout-inspired battle royale game Fall Guys is now free to play and available on Xbox consoles for the first time starting today. The game originally launched for PC and PlayStation 4 in 2020 as Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, but has now dropped the subtitle with the free to play transition.

A new season called Free for All launches alongside the release, and comes with new stages, features, and changes for returning players. Seven additional rounds have been added such as the bouncy castle inspired Bounce Party, Track Attack gauntlet, and Volleyfall. In-game party voice chat has also been added, while a new auto grab toggle in the settings allows players to automatically grab ledges instead of a button.

A season pass has been introduced as it is now free with 100 levels of cosmetic rewards. Free players can earn 50 tiers without paying, though the pass does contain premium currency that can be used for the inevitable next season pass. Players who purchased the full game before the transition will receive the first pass for free.

Fall Guys has had a somewhat long path to Xbox when the official Xbox Game Pass Instagram account teased it would be coming to the service last year, but was denied by then-publisher Devolver Digital. It was then announced for Xbox and Nintendo Switch for summer 2021, but was delayed following developer Mediatonic being acquired by Epic Games.

The game also supports cross-progression and cross-platform play among Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC via the Epic Game Store and Steam. Although, the Steam version has been removed from the store with the free to play transition, which Epic Games did the same for Rocket League when it went free to play. Steam players will still be able to access the game and receive future updates.

Alan Wake 2 is here. Developer Remedy Entertainment revealed Alan Wake 2 in December 2021, confirming that at long last, a sequel to the 2010 cult classic title is on the way. The game is now available for players everywhere, and it seems to have been worth the wait.

It took a while for Alan Wake 2 to come together, with Remedy sharing some key details in the years leading up to its release, including how this will be a much darker story. With Remedy fully embracing horror as a genre, this is a big shift for the studio, while also a fitting shift for Alan Wake as a character. Here's everything you could want to know about Alan Wake 2.

What is Alan Wake 2?

Alan Wake 2 is the sequel to Alan Wake, a 2010 title that blended the action-adventure genre with psychological thriller storytelling. Alan Wake 2 is being developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games Publishing, the latter of which also published Alan Wake Remastered in 2021. 

Alan Wake Remastered brought the original game to modern platforms, including Xbox One and PS4. In my review, I noted that it wasn't a perfect remaster, but is still easily the best way to play one of Remedy's best games.

The original Alan Wake told the story of a burned-out mystery writer named Alan Wake. While on vacation with his wife, Alice, Alan was lured in by a Dark Presence, an entity that brought a terrifying story to life in the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls. The people of the town were slowly possessed by darkness, turned into The Taken, creatures that could only be harmed after being stripped of said darkness with light. Alice was abducted by the Dark Presence, who promised he could have his wife back if he finished his latest story.

Alan also learned that this had previously happened to another writer named Thomas Zane, as the Dark Presence seeks to amplify and embody the writing that happens near it, using the writing to reshape the world and tell its own stories. After much difficulty, Alan managed to defeat the presence and save Alice, but in doing so became trapped in the Dark Place, something he realized is far bigger than he ever imagined with the haunting words, "It's not a lake, it's an ocean."

In Alan Wake 2, the story is split between two protagonists. Alan is still stuck in the Dark Place, while the game also introduces Saga Anderson, a woman in the FBI who is investigating Bright Falls. 

Alan Wake 2 trailers

The first trailer for Alan Wake 2 from Remedy Entertainment revealed the game during The Game Awards 2021 on Dec. 9, 2021. While there's no actual gameplay, as it's a CGI trailer, the trailer sets the appropriate creepy tone, introducing Alan in a nightmarish world, while granting glimpses of Bright Falls from the original game. You can watch the trailer on YouTube.

"We all come to a story with hopes and expectations, looking for an answer. Sometimes it would be better to live with that hope, without ever finding the story. This is not the story you want it to be. This story will eat you alive. This story is a monster and monsters wear many faces," Alan warns.

One trailer gave us a small bit of gameplay, while also giving the game's initial release date before it would change slightly in the following months. We also got a trailer during Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2023, where we saw glimpses of the terror that Alan is faced with. 

Alan Wake 2 actor

No, that isn't Jake Gyllenhaal in the announcement trailer. The actor's name is Ilkka Villi, a Finnish actor and writer. He portrayed Alan Wake in the original Alan Wake and associated live-action media such as the song War by Poets of the Fall. Meanwhile, American voice actor Matthew Porretta is also returning to voice the writer. So yes, Remedy got both of the original actors for Alan Wake back.

Alan Wake 2 gameplay and features

You can take a look at the gameplay reveal from Summer Game Fest 2023 below:

Remedy confirmed that this is the studio's first survival-horror game, meaning resource management might be even more important than in the original game. Alan Wake 2 is confirmed to be a third-person game, in line with Alan Wake, Quantum Break, Control, and the majority of Remedy-developed games.

"We are diving deeper than ever, into an ocean of darkness," creative director Sam Lake notes. Remedy notes that as a full survival-horror game, that there are even worse things lurking in the dark than the Taken of Bright Falls, adding that Alan Wake 2 will be a "chilling experience with familiar psychological horror elements."

"We are pushing further into the horror aspect of it, but also exploring the depth of the character," Lake added "We are pushing him further than ever before, and that's part of a horror story as well, putting the character through the ringer."

There are unique gameplay elements for both protagonists. Saga Anderson has access to the Mind Place, where Saga can piece together clues she's found so far.

Speaking with IGN, Lake also adds that there are small portions of the original concept for Alan Wake 2 (from years ago) that are in this game, but most of it is new ideas. Lake adds that the switch to survival-horror has brought in a lot of new "fresh, exciting ideas."

Alan Wake 2 is also rated M, as opposed to the T rating of the original game. Lake says this is a design choice, one that is "liberating" for the team in not having to hold back on any ideas or themes, fitting with the recurring focus here on making Alan Wake 2 a great horror game.

Is Alan Wake 2 connected to Control?

Yes. Alan Wake 2 takes place in the "Remedy Connected Universe" which, so far, is confirmed to include Alan Wake and the 2019 title Control. This was solidified with the Control: AWE DLC. Remedy notes that playing these games isn't required for understanding Alan Wake 2, though naturally it will help provide context, especially for the titular character and the situation in which he finds himself.

So, far we've seen connections such as mentions of Mr. Door, who is hosting a show of sorts in the Dark Place that Alan is meant to guest star in. Mr. Door was previously mentioned in Control, and there will undoubtedly be more connections hidden away.

Alan Wake 2 concept art

In a May 2022 update, Remedy Entertainment shared some Alan Wake 2 concept art. The art is dark, literally, focusing on the horror aspects of the game.

Alan Wake 2 platforms

Remedy Entertainment is developing Alan Wake 2 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows PC via the Epic Games Store, and PS5. This means Alan Wake 2 is a current-generation exclusive title, so it won't be held back by the Xbox One or PS4. Remedy calls Alan Wake 2 "a truly next-generation experience."

Being built for this hardware means Alan Wake 2 can take full advantage of the ultra-fast SSDs in the latest consoles, as well as being designed around CPU and GPU hardware that's far superior to the prior generation of consoles. This means higher frame rates, more intense visual effects, and faster loading times across the board, or perhaps even the elimination of loading times entirely.

Like Quantum Break and Control, Alan Wake runs on Remedy's proprietary Northlight engine, which Lake adds is allowing Alan Wake 2 to be "by far be the best-looking, most beautiful Remedy game ever." This is also the same engine being used in the upcoming remake of Max Payne and Max Payne 2, which is being developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games. That remake will also be exclusive to current-generation consoles.

When is Alan Wake 2's release date?

Alan Wake 2 is currently scheduled to arrive on Oct. 27, 2023. This comes after Remedy Entertainment chose to go dark throughout 2022, only sharing lots of details on the game in 2023. 

Originally, the studio planned to share more information about the game at some point in Summer 2022. This changed in May 2022, when Remedy Entertainment revealed that the team didn't want to spend time creating a dedicated gameplay slice. Instead, the studio is (for now) focused on simply making the game, though the team did share some concept art.

"Everything is going really well. A great deal of the game is playable, we are iterating it. But we've been talking the past couple of months, and we've come to the decision that we will not be showing anything big this summer," Lake said at the time. "We want to make sure that we are creating the best possible experience, the best, first survival-horror game from Remedy. We don't want to pivot the team away from that focus to work on a demo right now."

What you need to know

• Epic Games held a State of Unreal developer showcase on Tuesday.
• Xbox studio The Coalition took part in the showcase with a new cinematic Unreal Engine 5 technical test.
• The test is not meant to represent any upcoming games but instead showcase the studio's technological advancements.

During Epic Games' State of Unreal stream on Tuesday, the team at Canadian Xbox studio The Coalition joined in the developer showcase to demonstrate what the team is doing with Epic's latest technology.

The Coalition shared a cinematic Unreal Engine 5 technical test called The Cavern. This isn't meant to represent an upcoming game but is instead showcasing the studio's new advancement with Epic's latest engine technology. You can watch the cinematic test below:

This test builds on The Coalition's prior Alpha Point Unreal Engine 5 tech test and character render. Kate Rayner, studio technical director at The Coalition, claims that "more than 100 times" the overall detail is possible using Unreal Engine 5. The team had early access to the technology ahead of its general release for all developers on Tuesday.

"Just looking at the eyeball detail the number of vertices and polygons are the equivalent of what an entire character would have been in the previous generation of games," Raynor explains.

The Coalition isn't alone in its pursuit of Unreal Engine 5 advancements, as other Xbox Game Studios teams using the technology include inXile Entertainment, Undead Labs, Obsidian Entertainment, and The Initiative. The Coalition shares its findings with these other Xbox studios, as well as working with the Advanced Technology Group at Xbox.

What you need to know

• Epic Games held a State of Unreal stream to talk about Unreal Engine 5.
• Epic Game shared that Unreal Engine 5 is now available for all developers, not just select partners in early access.
• Crystal Dynamics closed out the stream by announcing that the next Tomb Raider game is in development using Unreal Engine 5.

Accompanying the news that Unreal Engine 5 is now available for all developers, Epic Games closed a State of Unreal stream by having Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics make a special announcement.

The next Tomb Raider game is in development with Unreal Engine 5, Crystal Dynamics has confirmed. This follows a recent industry trend of games being announced fairly early on in order to recruit for the project's development cycle. You can watch the full State of Unreal developer showcase below:

Epic Games recently announced a partnership with CD Projekt RED, confirming that the next Witcher game will also be using Unreal Engine 5, eschewing CD Projekt RED's proprietary REDEngine technology.

The last Tomb Raider game released was Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018, with development led by Crystal Dynamics western sister studio, Eidos Montreal. Crystal Dynamics led the development of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, as well as the 2015 Rise of the Tomb Raider.

In 2020, Crystal Dynamics released Marvel's Avengers to mixed commercial and critical success. The team is also currently aiding Xbox studio The Initiative in the development of a Perfect Dark reboot, which will also use Unreal Engine.

Multiple other Xbox teams are using Unreal Engine 5 as well, including State of Decay developer Undead Labs, Gears dev The Coalition and San Francisco-based Double Fine Productions. Some PlayStation Studios teams are also using Unreal Engine 5, including Sony's recently-acquired Haven Studios.

You can watch The Coalition's full Unreal Engine 5 demo below, though note that it is a technical test and not indicative of a game in development:

What you need to know

• Russia is currently invading Ukraine.
• Epic Games and Microsoft are working together to donate Fortnite profits in support of humanitarian relief for Ukraine.
• As of March 21, Epic Games and Microsoft have raised $36 million for Ukraine.

Russia is invading Ukraine, throwing the lives of millions into jeopardy. Numerous gaming companies have donated to relief efforts for civilians, with Epic Games and Microsoft now joining in donating Fortnite profits in support of Ukraine.

Epic Games recently announced that the company would be donating all Fortnite profits through April 3, 2022. Epic is also being joined in this effort by Microsoft, meaning that the latter publisher is donating its cut of Fortnite profits earned across the Xbox ecosystem. All "real-money" purchases within Fortnite qualify for donations, including V-Buck packs, Fortnite Crew, gifted Battle Passes, and cosmetic packs.

Epic Games notes that as the money comes in, transactions are being logged and sent to relief organizations "within days" of arrival. The money is being donated to help Ukrainian civilians via Direct Relief, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations World Programme (UNWEP) and the United Nation Refugee Agency. Epic Games shared via Twitter on March 21 that these donations have already reached $36 million.

This news comes as numerous gaming companies have stopped doing business in Russia and Belarus, with companies like Microsoft and Sony ceasing shipments of Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The PlayStation Store is also no longer accessible in Russia, and sales of new games such as Gran Turismo 7 have halted for the time being.

The war is also naturally impacting game development in the region, with Ukrainian game developer GSC Game World halting work on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl until the war is over.

What you need to know

• Microsoft, 35 states, and the U.S. Department of Justice have submitted filings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding the Epic v. Apple case.
• Generally, the filings claim that the original ruling revolved around a misinterpretation of the Sherman Act, which is a law that bans monopolies.
• Apple and Epic Games have also filed appeals to the original ruling.

The Epic Games v. Apple saga continues, now with added input from Microsoft, 35 states, and the United States Department of Justice (DoJ). All of the aforementioned groups recently submitted legal filings disputing the original ruling of the Epic v. Apple case (via ZDNet). The arguments of the filings center around the belief that the original ruling by District Judge Yvonne Gonzales-Rogers misinterpreted the Sherman Act, which is a law put in place to prevent monopolies and anti-competitive practices.

"The district court's holding creates a paralyzing paradox: Once a firm acquires market power and unilaterally imposes a contract, then it is no longer subject to Section 1. Affirming this paradox would gut the Sherman Act and prevent the Amici States from enforcing antitrust violations by large firms that harm their citizens," said the filing by the attorneys general representing the 35 states.

The filing from the DoJ made similar arguments, claiming that the original ruling "committed several legal errors that could imperil effective antitrust enforcement, especially in the digital economy." The DoJ added that "if upheld, [the ruling] could significantly harm competition and consumers by allowing a minor benefit to condone a major harm."

"Apple uses its control over an essential component of modern communications technology — now the phones, rather than the phone network — to interfere with how its customers may deal with third parties in other markets," said Microsoft in its briefing.

Microsoft's briefing also argues that Apple has already done damage. "Consumers and innovation will suffer — indeed, they already have. The district court's reasoning failed to give sufficient weight to these immense competitive risks and, if broadly affirmed, could insulate Apple from meritorious antitrust scrutiny and embolden further harmful conduct."

This is just the latest development in a case that's had countless twists and turns since its inception. Check out our full rundown of all the biggest Epic v. Apple bombshells to drop from the case to find out how Walmart, Nintendo, and other companies have been roped into the legal vortex.