PowerColor has been well known in the graphics card space for decades. Now, they are taking aim at the peripheral market, starting off with the new Alphyn AM10 wireless gaming mouse. 

The Alphyn AM10 is designed to deliver everything you need from a gaming mouse. From the classic ergonomic palm-grip shape to the ultra-high 8000Hz polling rate, ensuring minimal latency between your mouse clicks and the PC. Using a PAW3395 sensor, you'll get top-tier accuracy with up to 26,000 DPI and 650 IPS tracking, blending speed and precision.

In the table below, you can see the full spec sheet for the mouse:

The PowerColor Alphyn AM10 gaming mouse can be tweaked and customised to your liking using PowerColor Keystone, a new hub with options for customising mouse sensitivity, button shortcuts and RGB lighting. This software also works perfectly for those using the AH10 gaming headset, unlocking a host of EQ and mixer settings for your audio.

KitGuru Says: Are you shopping around for a new gaming mouse? Will you be adding the Alphyn AM10 to your shopping list?

Nowadays, everyone wants an AIO cooler with an LCD display on the pump. Gamdias is launching one of the nicest looking AIOs yet this week with the new Chione P5 series, available in sleek black and white colours. 

The Gamdias Chione P5 series AIO coolers feature a 3.4-inch IPS LCD display, so you'll get accurate colours even when looking at the display from an off angle. With a resolution of 480×480, users can set custom images or animated GIFs to the display. Just below the LCD display you will find an ARGB lighting strip to add a vibrant glow around your CPU.

Using the Gamdias Zeus Cast software, you can also access real-time monitoring of essential system information, from temperatures and clock speeds to clock time and calendar date.

So the cooler looks great, but does it have the hardware to tame today's high-end CPUs? The Chione P5 AIO cooler uses an upgraded coldplate with precise 0.12mm microflow channels to target CPU hotspots. The optimised fluid routing system and 10-pole motor ensure stable pump speeds of up to 2700RPM. To help move heat out of the system, the Chione P5 also comes equipped with Notus fans, which operate at just 25.48 dBA at 1600 RPM and peaking at only 34.91 dBA at 2200 RPM, so your CPU will be running cool and quiet.

The CHIIONE P5 Series AIO cooler includes an upgraded mounting kit for seamless installation on both AMD and Intel platforms, including the newest Intel LGA 1851 and AMD AM5. Prices start at $139.99 for the 240mm AIO and $159.99 for the 360mm AIO.

KitGuru Says: Are you in the market for a new AIO cooler for a PC upgrade? What do you think of the latest models from Gamdias? 

Counter-Strike has been one of the most popular games on Steam for over a decade but the game is showing no signs of slowing down. Just this past week, Counter-Strike 2 surpassed its old record and hit a new peak concurrent player milestone. 

Not all players were happy about the transition from CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2, but that hasn't stopped the game from growing to new heights. The first Premier season for CS2 just wrapped up and Premier Season Two officially launched, introducing the new version of the map ‘Train' to the competitive map pool. As a result, players have been flooding back into Counter-Strike 2, leading to a new peak player count.

On the 16th of February, Counter-Strike 2 reached a peak concurrent player count of over 1.744 million. This happened around the afternoon in Europe, just as America was waking up and Asia was going to sleep, which indicates how strong the playerbase for Counter-Strike is in European regions.

Counter-Strike 2 has not yet surpassed the all-time high player count from CS:GO, which hit over 1.8 million concurrent players in 2023. Counter-Strike 2 isn't far behind though, and all it takes is one new operation and a set of new skins, or a new competitive season to send the numbers flying back up.

KitGuru Says: Have you been keeping up with Counter-Strike 2 since launch, or did you drop out of the game after the transition from CS:GO?

Fans of Overwatch have been calling Blizzard out for their missteps in the transition to Overwatch 2. Now with Marvel Rivals dominating the hero shooter space, the director behind Overwatch 2 has admitted that the game has not “evolved as much as it should have” over the past couple of years.

Overwatch 2 was originally exciting due to the announcement of a full PvE campaign and other changes, like hero talent trees, allowing players to customise their playstyle further. Plans for both of those things were cancelled, leaving us with an underwhelming sequel that added very little to the overall experience.

Now with Marvel Rivals providing tough competition, Blizzard is finally looking to take some risks with Overwatch once again. In an interview with Games Radar, Overwatch 2 director, Aaron Keller, admitted that the team has felt pressure to make changes after the success of Marvel Rivals.

“There is pressure on the Overwatch team, and a lot of it is internal. You know, a lot of the things that we’re announcing for seasons 15 and 16, like perks and Stadium, they’re things that have been in development for Overwatch for quite some time. And I think what’s driving that is, when we look at our game, we feel like it’s either missing something or it hasn’t evolved as much as it should have.”

“We’re obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we’ve never really been in before, to this extent where there’s another game that’s so similar to the one that we’ve created”.

Blizzard just recently began announcing updates for the next two seasons of Overwatch. For starters, the cancelled hero talent tree system is coming back. Additionally, a new Stadium mode is being added to the game. Hopefully over the course of 2025, we see Blizzard trying more ideas as it attempts to make Overwatch interesting to the masses once more.

KitGuru Says: While it is good to see the Overwatch team finally kicking things up a notch and introducing interesting new ideas, I can't help but feel that this is all incredibly temporary. Blizzard was quite happy to sit on Overwatch for years, trying almost nothing to add to the game. If the competition from Marvel Rivals drops off, Blizzard may well just pull back and let Overwatch sit in stasis again.

Everyone is looking forward to Grand Theft Auto 6 later this year but for the first time in the franchise's history, the single-player campaign might be the least important part of the release. With GTA 6, we are also expecting a big new version of GTA Online, and it seems Rockstar might be taking tips from major online games like Roblox and Fortnite. 

Fortnite and Roblox are both extremely popular for their creator modes, allowing players to create their own games. With the next version of GTA Online, Rockstar is reportedly looking to build a platform for user-generated content. We've already seen some steps towards this with Rockstar's acquisition of the FiveM development team, who were behind the insanely popular FiveM RP mod for GTA Online.

Rockstar isn't stopping there though. According to Digiday, Rockstar has been hiring some of the most popular creators on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to prepare new modes for the next version of GTA Online.

At this point in time, it is unclear how these creators will be able to monetise their creations in GTA Online. We already know that some streamers are going to try and put together a blockchain, crypto-backed GTA Online RP server when GTA 6 drops, but Rockstar has previously banned attempts to link crypto currencies with GTA Online. Chances are, Rockstar's official implementation won't involve any crypto or web3 shenanigans.

KitGuru Says: What are you hoping to see Rockstar change with the next iteration of GTA Online? 

Bethesda quite famously announced The Elder Scrolls 6 back in 2018 but to date, we've heard very little about the game. With Starfield now out of the way, the studio has been fully focused on the next mainline Elder Scrolls game and you can now put yourself in the running to be included as an NPC in the game.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is still several years away but if you'd like to see yourself in the game, Bethesda is offering up a once in a lifetime opportunity. In support of the Make-A-Wish foundation, Bethesda is auctioning off the opportunity to have yourself added to the game as an NPC.

“The Elder Scrolls series, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, is renowned for its vast open worlds, deep lore, and immersive storytelling. With this exclusive experience, you’ll work with the developers to create a custom character that will appear in the game, leaving your mark on the legendary franchise”, the description reads.

Bethesda already has another custom NPC in the works for The Elder Scrolls 6. Shirley Currey, a content creator better known as the ‘Skyrim Grandma', is also being added to the next game in the series as an NPC.

We don't know when The Elder Scrolls 6 is due to release, but the game has been in production for a couple of years now and there is a playable build of the game running inside Bethesda's offices. Considering that AAA games take five years to develop on average, the game likely won't be out until 2027-2028.

KitGuru Says: We're still some ways off from seeing The Elder Scrolls 6 in action but progress is being made. Hopefully we'll start getting more news on the game later in the year. 

Last week, we heard rumours that Ubisoft was planning a big announcement for the future of Rainbow Six Siege this month. At the time, it was thought that a direct sequel was going to be announced. It turns out that isn't the case, instead, Ubisoft is working on a big update to the game, currently titled ‘Rainbow Six Siege X'.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft has announced Siege X, which aims to be “the biggest transformation in the game's history”. The new version of the game will introduce new game modes, “deepened tactical gameplay” and other upgrades.

Unfortunately, the full reveal isn't taking place for another few weeks. At 5PM (UK time) on the 13th of March, Ubisoft will put out the full reveal for the game, which will usher in “a new era” for Rainbow Six Siege.

With all of that in mind, the situation sounds similar to Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Both titles received ‘sequels' in the last couple of years, but in both cases, the sequel was an overhauled version of the game players already owned. The same seems to be playing out for Siege, with a transformative update coming in, rather than a fully separate game.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you still keep up with Rainbow Six Siege? Are you looking forward to Siege X at all? 

All the way back in 2019, around the same time that Microsoft announced its acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment, the Xbox team also announced the next game from Rare Studios – Everwild. Fans have been clamouring for more information on this game ever since, and this week we got an unexpected update. 

Some sources have previously claimed that Everwild has been internally rebooted since its reveal in late 2019. It has also been claimed that the project was announced while it was still in pre-production, meaning the development team didn't exactly know what they were doing with the game yet, which is why the initial reveal trailer was so vague on details.

In an interview published this week, Xbox head, Phil Spencer, told XboxEra that he recently visited Rare to see the latest build of the game. According to Spender, Everwild is progressing but from the sounds of it, the game could take some more time in the oven, as Spencer also added that he is pleased to be in a position to give teams like Rare additional time to work on new projects.

Of course, that extra time is afforded to Microsoft by virtue of Game Pass and the many other studios at the company cranking out content for the service. For instance, in the time Rare has been working on Everwild, studios like Obsidian have released several games, padding out the first-party release schedule.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Rare has been working on Everwild for a long time but as someone who has been following the development, I still don't feel any closer to knowing what the game is actually all about. Hopefully at some point in the next couple of years, Rare will be ready to break its silence. 

Elden Ring Nightreign is coming out in May and despite a rocky start, players are now able to log into the on-going network stress test for an early look at the game. As Nightreign is a multiplayer-focused game, many have wondered what kind of monetisation we can expect to see in the game. Now, it seems that we know that future bosses and characters will be available as DLC packs. 

Elden Ring Nightreign is a very different type of game compared to what fans are used to seeing out of FromSoftware. In a recently removed update to the game's Steam Store page, the publisher behind the game revealed that “additional playable characters and bosses” will be available in the game as DLC.

Whether or not these will be free or paid DLCs still remains to be seen. So far, no cosmetic DLCs have been announced for Nightreign, nor is there any sign of a battle pass system, which is typically how a multiplayer game would be monetised in today's market. Selling actual in-game content for a multiplayer game can be a tricky task as it can break up the player base, so it will be interesting to see what the final plan is as we get closer to launch.

Elden Ring Nightreign is due to release for PC, as well as current and last-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles, on the 30th of May.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you tried out Elden Ring Nightreign during any of this week's beta sessions? 

The Elden Ring Nightreign network test was due to begin last night but due to unexpected server issues, the beta was inaccessible to players for hours. Now, From Software has apologised for the downtime and is considering extending the testing period for those who missed out yesterday.

In an update shared on the official Elden Ring account this afternoon, From Software said: “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the game server issues. Work is currently ongoing to improve the stability of the Network Test. An additional Network Test session is being considered.”

There is no word on when this extra day of testing may take place, but over the weekend, players will have the opportunity to participate in a few more three-hour long play sessions for the network test. We should get more news by next week.

In other news, From Software also recently announced the official release date for Elden Ring Nightreign. After the beta testing wraps up, players will get their hands on the game in full on the 30th of May.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you signed up for the Elden Ring Nightreign playtests this weekend?

Valve has really ramped up the number of Steam sales it holds each year and as a result, the company also often reveals planned sales dates well ahead of time so gamers and game creators can be prepared. The Steam Sale dates for 2025 have already been announced. 

Many of these sales are smaller, week-long events focusing on specific genres, like Strategy, Couch Co-op, Simulation games, shooters and others.

Here is every Steam Sale announced for 2025:

• Real-Time Strategy Fest: January 20 – 27
• Idler Fest: February 3 –10
• Couch Co-Op Fest: February 10 –17
• Steam Next Fest: February Edition: February 24 – March 3
• Visual Novel Fest: March 3 – 10
• Steam Spring Sale: March 13 – 20
• City Builder & Colony Sim Fest: March 24 – 31
• Sokoban Fest: April 21 – 28
• Wargames Fest: April 28 – May 5
• Creature Collector Fest: May 12 – May 19
• Zombies vs. Vampires Fest: May 26 – June 2
• Steam Next Fest: June Edition: June 9 – 16
• Fishing Fest: June 16 – 23
• Steam Summer Sale: June 26 – July 10
• Automation Fest: July 14 – July 21
• Racing Fest: July 28 – August 4
• 4X Fest: August 11 – August 18
• Third Person Shooter Fest: August 25 – September 1
• Political Sim Fest: September 8 – September 15
• Steam Autumn Sale: September 29 – October 6
• Steam Next Fest – October 2025 Edition: October 13 – October 20
• Steam Scream 4: October 27 – November 3
• Animal Fest: November 10 – November 17
• Sports Fest: December 8 – December 15
• Steam Winter Sale: December 18 – January 5

The key thing to note here is that after years, Valve has finally moved the Steam Autumn Sale date. In previous years, the Autumn sale would end just weeks before the start of the Winter sale, making it a rather awkwardly timed event. Starting this year, the Autumn sale on Steam will take place over two months before the Winter sale.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What game are you currently waiting to pick up during a Steam sale? 

If you've ever wanted to review PC gear, then this is a perfect opportunity as we are now hiring for a new reviewer to join our team! Prior experience is not strictly necessary, but we would like to see some example works from applicants. 

We are looking for someone who will be able to produce reviews of a range of tech gear in video format and in the KitGuru style. Any experience in this sector is beneficial, however we are open to all applicants provided you can give us a sample of your written and video work so we can assess your abilities.

KitGuru is a great company to work with, we are all tech enthusiasts who enjoy gaming, so we all have very similar interests. Behind the scenes it is very close knit environment and many of our team have been with us for several years.

To be considered for this position you need:

• Skillset to present well on camera – and in English.
• The ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Strong communication skills.
• Some knowledge of video editing would be useful, but we have that capability in-house if we find the right candidate.
• Strong writing ability.
• This is a freelance position.

The successful applicant must be based in the United Kingdom, and we pay very well for this kind of work. If you are interested and feel you can meet the criteria above and want to work in this fast moving, extremely demanding sector then please send your CV along with any samples of your work to our Deputy Editor in Chief, Dominic Moass – dominic(at)kitguru.net. We would like to see samples of your work, but please note we are looking for applicants who can produce high quality videos and written articles in the in-depth KitGuru style, so your submissions should reflect that.

KitGuru says: We look forward to receiving your application. 

When Blizzard made the jump from Overwatch to Overwatch 2, 6v6 gameplay wasn't the only thing it left behind. Overwatch 2 also launched without loot boxes, which were the original game's primary source of revenue. Now two years later, Blizzard is bringing them back. 

Blizzard has detailed a number of changes being made to Overwatch 2 ahead of the upcoming Season 15 launch. During this season, loot boxes will return to the game and will be earnable through weekly rewards and events. Moving forward, seasonal battle passes will also include Legendary loot boxes with a 100% guarantee of a legendary-rated skin.

Loot boxes returning isn't the only thing Blizzard is announcing today. The Overwatch team is reviving past ideas and bringing a Hero perk system to the game, allowing players to customise their heroes with bonuses and enable new strategies.

In matches, players will now get to level up their heroes twice, allowing for a minor perk and a major perk to be picked.

This will all be coming in Season 15 but Blizzard has also teased a major update for Season 16. In April, the new Stadium mode will launch. Claimed to be the biggest game mode in Overwatch history, players in the Stadium will battle it out in a best of seven match-up. At the end of each round, players earn Stadium coins to unlock new abilities to use for the rest of the match.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you think of the incoming changes to Overwatch 2? Will this help Blizzard win some players back from the latest hit, Marvel Rivals? 

Diablo fans had to undergo an 18 month wait between the release of Diablo 4 and its first expansion. Unfortunately, the release cadence isn't going to get any quicker, with the next expansion not planned to release until 2026. 

At DICE this week, Blizzard's GM of Diablo, Rod Fergusson, confirmed on stage to attendees that Diablo 4's second expansion is coming in 2026. Unfortunately, a release window beyond that isn't specified but we can make an educated guess.

Diablo IV first launched in June 2023, followed by its first expansion in October 2024. Assuming Blizzard sticks to a similar timetable, then we should be expecting Expansion 2 sometime around Diablo 4's third anniversary.

In the meantime, there will continue to be seasonal updates to DIablo 4 with new features and content to keep players engaged. Unfortunately, there won't be any new explorable map zones until the next expansion.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Initially, Diablo 4 was going to have yearly expansions, but somewhere along the way the plan changed. Fortunately, Blizzard hasn't been afraid to include transformative updates to the game in its seasonal updates, so there will still be plenty to look forward to in Diablo 4 even with the extended wait between expansions. 

There are several key launches happening this week, many of which are sporting the latest DLSS 4 technology with Multi Frame-Gen. As a result, there is a new Game Ready driver available today with day-one support for Avowed, as well as updates for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. 

The new Game Ready 572.42 driver is now available. This new driver includes day-one optimisations for Avowed, the latest fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. Those who purchased Avowed Premium Edition gain access to the game starting today, with everyone else getting access next week, on the 18th. Avowed launches with DLSS 3, Nvidia Reflex and Ray Traced graphics, but RTX 50 users can use the driver-level DLSS 4 override to further enhance image quality and enable multi-frame generation.

Another key part of this week's driver update is preparing for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's incoming DLSS 4 update. The game is adding support for DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation with its next patch. Kuro Games' open-world title, Wuthering Waves, is also adding support for DLSS 3, Reflex and RT features with its latest patch.

Those who like to use the one-click optimisation tool within the Nvidia app will also be happy to know that this driver support also brings along new optimal settings for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Avowed, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Civilization 7.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As always, let us know how you get on with the latest driver updates. 

The next wave of games heading to GeForce Now have been announced. The currently mixed reviewed Civilization 7 is available to play, and for the first time, the complete Batman Arkham Trilogy is available for those who own the game either through Steam or Epic Games.  

Sid Meier's Civilization VII, F1 Manager 2024, Legacy: Steel & Sorcery and Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered are this week's new releases with support for streaming through GeForce Now, enabling you to play these games on almost any device with a strong enough internet connection.

Here are the games joining GeForce Now this week:

• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Feb. 11)

• Legacy: Steel & Sorcery (New release on Steam, Feb. 12)

• F1 Manager 2024 (New release on Epic Games Store, Free Feb. 13)

• Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (New release on Steam, Feb. 14)

• Batman: Arkham Asylum – Game of the Year Edition (Steam and Epic Games Store)

• Batman: Arkham City – Game of the Year Edition (Steam and Epic Games Store)

• Batman: Arkham Knight (Steam and Epic Games Store)

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you thinking of subscribing to GeForce Now for a month to give it a try?

Bobbt Kotick wasn't exactly a fan favourite figure of the games industry, but he may be right about one thing. In a recent interview, Kotick spoke on his view of “the worst CEO in video games” – John Riccitiello. 

Kotick left Activision Blizzard in late 2023, after completing the merger with Microsoft. Since then, he has kept a pretty low profile, rarely appearing in the news. That changed this week thanks to an interview (spotted by VGC), in which Kotick spoke quite candidly about his view of one CEO competitor.

Kotick admitted that as a rival, Activision “would have paid for Riccitiello to stay as CEO [of EA] forever”. While they viewed Riccitiello as “the worst CEO in video games”, they were worried that EA's COO at the time, Bing Gordon, would take over as CEO. John Riccitiello ended up running EA up until 2013, after which Andrew Wilson took over.

Kotick may have a point here, after all, Riccitiello did reportedly float the idea of charging for ammo in Battlefield, and in 2023 he made headlines again as the CEO of Unity due to some incredibly controversial policy changes. Ultimately, he stepped down and many changes were reversed but reputational damage was sustained.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Agree or disagree on this one? 

Over the past two years, many studios across the industry have had to undergo layoffs, leading to thousands of developers needing to find new work. Unfortunately, things aren't turning around in 2025 just yet. This time around, Crytek has announced a round of layoffs. 

Following on from last year's launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896, Crytek has announced that it is letting go of around 15 percent of its workforce. The company is estimated to employ 400 people, so around 60 people are set to lose their jobs.

pic.twitter.com/zJzGroAIex

— Crytek (@Crytek) February 12, 2025

Crytek says that “unfavourable market dynamics” have led to this conclusion. The layoffs will be split up between development teams and Crytek's shared services team. The company says that is already attempted other cost-cutting measures but ultimately, layoffs were “inevitable”.

Fans of Hunt: Showdown have no need to worry though, as Crytek is “fully committed” to keeping the game alive and expanding it with new content. The studio is also still working on perfecting the CryEngine.

Unfortunately, development on Crysis 4 has been paused. It is unclear if the project will be revisited anytime soon. For now, the main focus appears to be Hunt: Showdown 1896.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is always a shame to see layoffs, but hopefully things can turn around for Crytek.

Alan Wake 2 is now profitable, Remedy's next game, FBC Firebreak is just around the corner and to top it all off, Control 2 has hit another milestone and is now in full production. 

As part of Remedy's latest earnings report, the company confirmed the status of several projects. We've already covered Alan Wake 2 becoming profitable, meaning Remedy now gets royalty payments from the publisher for future sales of the game. Now our attention turns to Remedy's next big single-player game – Control 2.

Remedy said late last year that Control 2 would be heading into full production in 2025. The studio has stuck to that promise, with the game ramping up to production as of February 2025. While this is a major milestone in the course of development, production is still a lengthy multi-year process, so it will be a while before we get to see the game in action or play it for ourselves.

Remedy is also keeping busy in other areas. The multiplayer spin-off game set in the Control universe, FBC: Firebreak, is due to release later this year. On top of that, the Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes are also in full production right now.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: After Quantum Break, Control and Alan Wake 2, Remedy has become one of my favourite studios for single player games. I'll be keeping a keen eye on updates for Control 2 in the year ahead. 

From Software surprised us all last year with the announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign. Now, just ahead of the game's console-only beta test, a release date has been confirmed for the first time.

Elden Ring Nightreign pre-orders are now live and because of that, a new trailer for the game has been released, complete with a May 30th release date:

As a reminder, the game will be available on both PS4 and PS5, as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and PC on release. However, the beta test taking place from February 14th to 16th is only available on console.

Players can expect to choose from eight unique characters, each with their own abilities and powerful Ultimates. Their journeys take them to Limveld, an ever-changing environment, where they will have to make split-second decisions when it comes to combat and exploration in the face of a night cycle that shrinks the map with the coming Night’s Tide. At the end of each night, players will face a powerful boss and, if victorious, awaken to bigger challenges. Each session will culminate in the third night when they must face off against the chosen Nightlord.

It is an interesting twist for a multiplayer game and unlike anything From Software has released before. We'll no doubt see some gameplay impressions later in the week after the network stress test goes live.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you looking forward to Elden Ring Nightreign?

Since launching in October 2023, Remedy has issued regular updates on the status of Alan Wake 2 sales. For a long time, the game had not yet returned a profit, but that has finally changed this year. 

In its latest financial earnings report, Remedy Entertainment confirmed that Alan Wake 2 has now surpassed two million sales and has become profitable for the first time. All development and marketing costs were recouped by the end of 2024, making this the first year that Remedy will begin earning royalty payments from sales.

The rise to profitability was aided by the release of two fantastic DLCs for Alan Wake 2 in 2024. The Night Springs and Lake House DLCs further expand on the growing Remedy universe, with more crossovers between Alan Wake and Control.

Remedy has another game coming out late this year – FBC: Firebreak, a new multiplayer co-op shooter set in the same world as Control. However, its links to Control will be very minimal, boiling down to a sharing of certain themes, but nothing else beyond that.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Alan Wake 2 was such a massive improvement on the first game and it showed Remedy's story telling reaching new heights. With that in mind, we should all be excited for the Max Payne remakes, and the upcoming sequel to Control. 

Recently we learned that Marvel Rivals would be going through a mid-season rank reset, knocking down every player's rank by four levels across the board. Typically, rank resets only happen at the start of a new season, so players weren't particularly happy with this idea. Now, the development team is changing course. 

In an update posted late yesterday, the Marvel Rivals team stated that when the second half of the season begins, there will no longer be a rank reset. All players will now retain their ranks and scores from the first half of the season, but you'll need to complete some new challenges to unlock the new rewards.

To earn new rewards in the second half of the season, players will need to complete 10 matches in competitive mode and hit certain goals. Some of the new rewards include a new costume for those who achieve Gold rank, and other new cosmetics.

Unfortunately, the Marvel Rivals development team has not addressed the newly discovered security flaw in the game.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you glad to see that the rank reset has been called off?

Microsoft's rollout of Activision titles to Game Pass has been slow to say the least. This is despite all of the talk of Activision providing a big boost to Game Pass prior to the acquisition. Fortunately, the pace is starting to pick up a bit and soon, one of the most popular titles in Call of Duty history will be joining the library. 

According to XboxEra, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2009) is coming to Game Pass in either March or April. As this isn't a brand-new game, it will be available on the standard Game Pass tier, not just Ultimate & PC Game Pass like the recently released Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II first launched in 2009 for the Xbox 360 and was one of the dominant shooters of that generation. It has been a highly requested game for Game Pass by fans, alongside other classic Call of Duty titles like Black Ops 1 & 2, COD 4 and World at War.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What other Call of Duty games would you like to see on Game Pass this year?

Delta Force has been off to a good start since its launch in December. The Battlefield-inspired free-to-play shooter launched to positive reception in December with the game's multiplayer mode. Now, the game's ambitious Black Hawk Down campaign is also ready for its time in the spotlight. 

The Black Hawk Down co-op campaign for Delta Force was delayed, giving the developers more time to polish it up. The campaign will launch on the 21st of February for PC, with a console release scheduled for later in the year.

The campaign can be played entirely solo, or in co-op. Players can expect to see scenes reminiscent of Ridley Scott's movie, Black Hawk Down, as well as call backs to the classic Delta Force campaigns from the 90s.

The campaign will eventually come to the Xbox and PlayStation versions of Delta Force. Additionally, a mobile version is also planned, which makes sense, as the developer, Timi, has also worked on Call of Duty Mobile.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Have you played Delta Force since it came out? Are you looking forward to the Black Hawk Down campaign? 

A couple of years ago, From Software had to take the Dark Souls games offline for months due to the discovery of a Remote Code Execution bug, enabling a hacker to access a user's system by exploiting the game's multiplayer connection. Now, this same severe vulnerability has been discovered in one of 2025's most popular multiplayer titles – Marvel Rivals. 

If you are a Marvel Rivals player, you may want to steer clear for a bit, as a new remote code execution bug has been discovered. Remote Code Execution (RCE) allows someone to remotely activate code on a device, enabling the spread of malware from afar. According to security researcher, Shalzuth, an RCE exploit is currently present in Marvel Rivals.

The exploit lies in the Marvel Rivals hotfix patching system. This allows the developers to quickly push out hotfixes to millions of users, but the team has not taken the extra security step of verifying where the code is coming from. With that in mind, a hacker could weaponize the patching system to spread malware. As Marvel Rivals requires Admin Privileges on PC for the sake of anti-cheat, this makes the RCE bug all the more dangerous for PC users, but it can also be used to break into PS5 consoles.

When From Software became aware of the RCE bug in Dark Souls 1, 2 and 3, it took those games offline for months while it worked on a solution. It is unclear if Marvel Rivals will face any downtime in order to add extra security measures to protect users. The researcher behind this bug discovery wrote further on his blog that he's found critical bugs in other very popular online games but has been ignored by developers. Given that more studios are using kernel-level anti-cheat systems to protect their games from cheaters, they also need to start putting in the extra effort to make sure the player base is also protected from major issues like this.

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KitGuru Says: No game should create an exploitable backdoor into the player's system. Hopefully the team behind Marvel Rivals becomes aware of this and can make the necessary changes to keep the player base safe. 

It looks like Sony is looking to make some new headlines after a weekend of PSN outages. Swiftly following the outage, Sony has now announced its next State of Play stream. 

The next PlayStation State of Play stream will be taking place tomorrow at 10PM GMT. The stream will be over 40 minutes long, which means we will be getting quite a few substantial announcements for upcoming PS5 titles.

PC gamers will also want to pay attention to the news coming out of State of Play, as Sony has been releasing more and more games on PC. In some cases, like with Helldivers 2, Sony is allowing games to come to PS5 and PC on day-one, but this approach is limited to multiplayer titles.

We don't have much on the calendar for first-party games for PS5 this year, but that should change after the State of Play stream.

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KitGuru Says: Will you be tuning into this week's State of Play stream? Are there any already announced games you're hoping to get an update on?

Roman Der8auer has been busy testing RTX 5090 graphics cards following the first reports of melting 12VHPWR connectors. Much like when the RTX 4090 launched, at least one early RTX 5090 buyer has encountered an issue with the connector overheating and melting.

An RTX 5090 Founder's Edition buyer in Germany posted on Reddit earlier this week showing that their connector had fried after using a third-party Moddiy 12VHPWR cable. This person used this same cable with their RTX 4090 without issue, but it quickly melted when being used with the RTX 5090 Founder's Edition graphics card. Der8auer reached out to the user after seeing their story and has since collected the graphics card for analysis.

In a video, Der8auer examines the damaged card under a microscope and explains that he himself uses Moddiy cables for products, finding them to be of high quality. Still, when used with the RTX 5090, this particular 12VHPWR cable melted at both the GPU side and the PSU side.

Using thermal imaging, two specific 12V cables are getting hotter than the others due to what seems to be uneven power distribution. The connector at the PSU side reached a dangerously high 150 degrees Celsius. According to the investigation, over 22 amps was being pushed down one wire, when each wire is normally only supposed to carry around 6 amps. Some of the other wires transported as little as 2 amps while the other wire was overloaded.

Der8auer does not take the extra step of taking apart the cable or the connector. However, Nvidia will likely need to investigate this further and as part of that, they will no doubt want to see the melted cable for themselves to conduct their own analysis. Nvidia has not yet publicly commented on the situation.

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KitGuru Says: Fortunately, there only appears to be one case of a burning RTX 5090 connector so far. In the meantime, those with an RTX 5090 may want to exercise caution until Nvidia is able to clarify what the issue was here, as it may not have been a case of user error as initially thought. 

The launch of Civilization 7 hasn't exactly gone to plan for Firaxis. Long-time fans of the series have taken issue with the latest entry, calling out the UI, missing features and other issues. In an effort to get the game back on track, Firaxis has now disabled console and PC crossplay, enabling them to push updates to PC platforms at a faster pace. 

With crossplay titles, generally, developers have to make sure updates to the game go out to all platforms at once. When it comes to consoles, there is an approval process that developers need to go through before an update can be rolled out. On PC, developers have more freedom to update their games whenever they see fit. With that in mind, crossplay for Civ 7 is being disabled, allowing Firaxis to update the PC version of the game at a quicker pace.

This means that PC players will get access to patches and hotfixes before console users. However, eventually all platforms will be running the same version of the game again. When that happens, crossplay between the PC and console versions will be switched back on.

This news comes alongside the second patch for the game. Civilization 7 1.01 is now available for Windows, Mac and Linux. This patch fixes a number of gameplay bugs, issues with in-game AI, and some tweaks to the in-game UI. You can find the full patch notes on Steam.

This is just the beginning, with more updates already in the works. Hopefully in a few months time, the overall review score for Civ 7 will go from mixed to positive. A new version of the game for virtual reality headsets, like the Meta Quest 3, is also due to release later this year.

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KitGuru Says: Have you picked up Civ 7 already? How are you finding the game so far? 

Marvel Rivals has continued to be a huge success in the months since launch. At this point, players are well into the game's first season, but there is a major mid-season update on the way. Not only can we expect two more characters on the roster, but there will also be a rank reset. 

When Marvel Rivals Season 1 first went live, the developers introduced two members of The Fantastic Four – Reed Richards and Invisible Woman. Now for the mid-season update, Human Torch and The Thing are also joining the line-up of playable characters. As you would expect, The Thing is a tank character (otherwise known as a Vanguard in Rivals) and Human Torch is a DPS character (known as a Duelist in Rivals).

This update will also usher in a rank reset, knocking the entire player base down by four divisions. That means if you are currently in Gold, you'll be bumped down to Silver. Future rank resets will knock players back down by six ranks.

We typically see rank resets taking place at the beginning of a brand new season. It is unclear if a mid-season reset will be scheduled for all seasons moving forward, as Net Ease has also said that it will slow down the cadence of new character launches after this first introductory season.

KitGuru Says: Have you been playing Marvel Rivals in recent weeks? Are you looking forward to the new characters? How do you feel about the mid-season rank reset?