@AlexandreNGamR claimed this on Twitter, noting that it’s “expected.” While not widely known for leaks or other rumors, this was corroborated by none other than insider NateTheHate with a simple, “It’s true.”

Why the sudden announcement out of nowhere? It could be part of a larger showcase, namely the next rumored State of Play. Reportedly taking place on April 16th, it’s allegedly third-party focused – a significant shift from the last event, which included its fair share of first-party titles.

Of course, the next Metro could be announced completely independent of the showcase. Rumors have been circulating about a reveal for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which is also reportedly taking place on April 16th. It’s unknown whether this is part of the next State of Play, though reports have claimed that a separate event later this month will shed more details on the remake.

Whether this is the same game as Metro 4 remains to be seen (since a “multiplayer experience” is also in the works). The last update provided by 4A Games is that the sequel would have a darker story than the previous games. It’s influenced by the ongoing war in Ukraine, with the studio promising players that they’re in “for quite the ride.”

It offers 4K support, high-resolution textures, and an improved frame rate. It’s currently unclear if those who own the PS4 version can access this update, but it lends further credence to rumors about an upcoming remaster. For its part, Warhorse Studios hasn’t really acknowledged the same, simply teasing “something new on the horizon” after the final DLC for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

Besides director Daniel Vávra rushing to the defense of Larian Studios in the wake of Divinity’s GenAI controversy, claiming it’s “here to stay,” the development hasn’t offered any further updates on its future. With State of Play rumored for February, perhaps this PS5 update will be a shadow drop alongside other versions then. It’s allegedly taking place in the week of February 12th, so stay tuned for more details.

As for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, it’s available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Since launching in February 2025, it’s received extensive critical acclaim (and more than a few Game of the Year nominations) while selling four million copies as of last November. You can check out our review here for more details.

But, beneath the surface lies hidden depth. Its Icelandic-influenced setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a personal world, crafted by a studio that genuinely cares. And now – with the arrival of Echoes’ Enhanced Edition – the rough edges have been rebuilt or transformed outright. Finally, it’s a game which showcases the contemplation behind its features. The Enhanced Edition proves Echoes of the End isn’t underrated because it was mediocre, but because the version you played never fully reflected what the developers were aiming for.

At a glance, it’s easy to see why Echoes of the End struggled to stand out. Yes, its marketing reads like template fantasy-adventure copy, but early reviews also framed it as a restrained, AA spin on modern action games: tight corridors, linear-based progression, and the occasional boat ride, punctuated by cinematic cutscenes. Sure, Echoes is very much in the vein of various other action adventure games, but it’s without the AAA sheen that makes those odysseys sing.

Throw in reports of unresponsive inputs, missing assets, crashes, and awkward traversal stuttering – issues the base version suffered from far too often – and a picture quickly forms. What you saw was another mid-budget game chasing blockbuster ambitions. If you dove in anyway, you were swiftly kneecapped by its unattainable scope and lack of polish. Echoes was more than playable, even promising in places, but it couldn’t shake free of its shortcomings. Its ideas were sound – they just needed steadier execution.

Yet, the base version didn’t communicate how these ideas actually fit together. Easily missed is that Echoes of the End wasn’t attempting the same mythic sweep as its AAA contemporaries. Its scope was intentionally smaller, its narrative more intimate, its world built with the kind of regional specificity rarely seen outside of AA passion projects. Even the most derivative-sounding ingredients – its swords, magic, vestiges, rope swings, and air-dashes – were part of a framework intended to embed you into your character’s world, not just to induce wide-eyed spectacle.

But, as is often the case, first impressions take root. Once that perception sets in, revision gets locked out. Conversation stagnates – the game now must work hard to prove itself.

But, before we detail what Echoes’ Enhanced Edition brings in, let’s outline what the game nailed the first time around.

Swimming beneath the familiarity, Echoes’ storytelling kicked the game to more interesting shores. Multiple reviewers flagged the game’s writing as its unexpected strength, but even that undersells how character-driven it actually is. Beneath the sweeping landscapes and magical setpieces lies a human story built on grief, trauma, fear, trust, and the burden of power – all conveyed with subtlety that many players never realised was there.

At the centre is Ryn, whose attitude became a point of contention in online discussion. Some players saw her as unnecessarily abrasive, while others praised her emotional arc. But the more forthright introduction of the Enhanced Edition – plus a closer reading of the game’s themes – makes clear her persona isn’t bravado but armour. Ryn is a vestige – someone born with barely controllable magic power, with her volatility causing an accidental injury to someone she cared about. But, instead of leaning into cliché empowerment tropes, Echoes’ takes a measured approach. Ryn’s bluntness isn’t standoffishness for its own sake, but a defence mechanism. She keeps others at arm’s length so she doesn’t hurt them again. And flipping this around, Echoes establishes clearly that society has grown wary of vestiges, perhaps precisely because of Ryn’s miscontrol.

Ryn’s foundational persona epitomises Echoes’ restrained emotional language, wherein characters carry weight without melodrama. Their inner turmoil shows in ambivalent tones of voice, guarded body language, and expressive facial animations that are noticeable in trailers and footage if you pay attention. Echoes does a prime job of establishing its lore, but its personal silence demands you peek through its veneer.

And then there’s Ryn’s ever-present companion Abram, whose presence is as a genuine counterpart rather than glorified quest giver. He’s reactive, adaptive, and someone you’ll build trust with throughout Ryn’s journey. Their partnership is the spine of the story, and the friction between their goals – her search for her brother, his unspoken agenda – grounds the narrative into something tense, dynamic, and relatable. Strip away the fantasy aesthetic, and Echoes is a story about learning to trust again, and discovering that power – both in the magical and emotional sense – is only dangerous when wielded alone.

Then we have the combat which, in Echoes of the End’s original release, imbues the game’s ambition. Yet, while it was widely praised as enjoyable it lacked sharpness: lightweight hit detection, loose lock-ons, and spasmodic combos left skirmishes feeling tiringly ornamental rather than tirelessly engaging. Echoes’ Enhanced Edition re-works combat with retimed animations, while remixed sound and visuals add incisive force. Combos now continue through dodges and parries, with lock-ons moving fluidly between targets. Sure, these tweaks are subtle rather than radical, but Echoes’ fight scenes now feel authored; finally, they’re bouts of precision, not approximation.

Where these combat fixes steady the ship, the Enhanced Edition’s new content strengthens Echoes’ trajectory. Redesigned progression – a leaner, more readable Gear System – expands customisation, where unique playstyles can be cultivated at a pace which matches the story. Retooled difficulty options massage the challenge to meet a broader spectrum of newcomers, while veterans can access New Game+, where elite enemies meet new abilities, with outfits and relics retained from earlier playthroughs. Fresh dialogue options, environmental hazards, and accessibility options widen the experience further.

Developer Myrkur Games insist Echoes of the End is not patched-up, but clarified. They haven’t just sanded down the rough edges, but confronted the base version’s shortcomings with honesty and humility – an increasingly prevalent characteristic of the AA space. The Enhanced Edition coming a mere two-and-a-half months after the original release is a sign of their commitment. Likewise, the game’s environment reflects their connection to Iceland, where its distinct cultural overtone sits comfortably with other ambitious, mid-budget AA titles – Clair Obscur: Expedition, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, or Eternal Strands. These games are made by nimble teams not defined by constraints, but a willingness to explore deep meaning; in their systems, in the beat of their worlds, in tone, pace, and how it all speaks to you as a player.

The fact Echoes’ Enhanced Edition is a free upgrade is icing – Myrkur Games is a studio whose ambition is matched by genuine artistic and cultural pursuit. What began as a broad sketch is now sculpted into an experience the studio always meant to release. Its first wave didn’t find an audience – many players didn’t even know of its existence – but now, in a year dominated by mid-budget giants, it’s a small Icelandic studio that is delivering one of 2025’s most heartfelt adventures. In an industry where first impressions matter, Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition proves reinvention isn’t always necessary – just a second chance to show what was already there.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

“After release of Dead Island 2 Ultimate Edition in October 2024, the primary focus for Dambuster Studios is now Dead Island 3,” reads the strategic report. “All developers are assigned to the project and once the Luna and Mac versions of Dead Island 2 are complete all of Dambuster’s QA team will also be assigned to Dead Island 3. Parts of the game are now in early production with feature, character, world and story design moving at pace. The current predicted release window for the project is Q1/2 2028.”

The Dead Island series has seen quite a bit of success. Back in September when it first teased the third game, Dambuster Studios had also celebrated that Dead Island 2 had gotten more than 20 million players since its release back in 2023.

The tease itself involved an image with a character that was seemingly leaving Dead Island 2‘s LA setting, hitchhiking on an intercity road. The text on the image reads “When there’s no more room in HELL-A…” The studio’s post itself also noted that “The next outbreak? Dambuster is already drenched in the work. The journey is far from over…”

While Dambuster Studios might have done excellently since it started working on the Dead Island franchise, former Deep Silver head of communications Martin Wein had spoken about how the game’s original version, being developed by Yager, would have essentially killed the franchise.

Speaking at Develop:Brighton in July, Wein discussed the delays seen by the original version of Dead Island 2 under Yager. “I can actually give you an example where myself and the product team caused about an eight-year product delay,” said Wein.

“I was working on that with the creative team, and we were mightily proud of that [trailer],” Wein said. “But then, about 3 to 4 weeks later, we had a major milestone with the development studio that was in charge at that time. And boy, that game sucked.”

“It had nothing to do with what [made] the original Dead Island […] really fun,” he explained. “So we commissioned a play test and got horrific feedback. And we sat down with the development team and said, ‘Okay, what’s the course of action?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, leave it with us’.”

Despite negative feedback from playtests, however, Wein noted that the project wasn’t seeing any changes or adjustments that takes the feedback into account, with Wein describing some of the feedback being “this is not fun, this is not engaging, this does not feel like the Dead Island that I played.”

Dead Island 2: Ultimate Edition was released back in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and includes the base game along with all of the DLC that had been made for the game. For more details, check out our review of Dead Island 2.

The main factions at play in the story of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 are the Space Marine chapter Blood Ravens being led by Captain Cyrus and Chief Librarian Jonah Orion, the Orks under Warboss Gorgutz, Mechanicus forces led by Technoarcheologist Potentia Delta-9, and Necrons being led by Chronomancer Thotmek. All of these important characters are showcased in the trailer, with the Space Marines taking on the Orks, while the Adeptus Mechanicus is exploring the world’s lost ruins and finding the existence of dormant Necron tombs.

Towards the end, the trailer showcases the arrival of a second Space Marine chapter into the battlefield – the Dark Angels. This is an especially pivotal moment since the Dark Angels have a reputation for being quite secretive and non-trusting. However, with the trailer showcasing the two chapters working together, as well as Lion El’Jonson offering a helping hand to the Blood Ravens, indicates that the overarching plot of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is going to see a major shift.

King Art Games has also confirmed that the Dark Angel chapter will have its own unique in-game units, including playable Commanders Company Master Astoran and Chaplain Ezrael, as well as their own distinct tactical advantages and disadvantages. The chapter will be playable in all of the game modes, which likely also includes competitive online matches. This will also mark the first time that a Dawn of War title has featured distinctly separate playable Space Marine chapters. Previous games in the series have only allowed superficial changes to Space Marine through their Army Painter feature, without bringing in any characters or units unique to the chapter.

Dawn of War 4 marks the first time a new game in the series is being developed since 2017’s Dawn of War 3, which was made by Relic Entertainment. The title was quite poorly received, however, which ultimately led to the franchise being left alone for almost an entire decade. Among the criticism faced by the title were its simplification of complex gameplay mechanics, as well as its emphasis on offering an esports experience without having the depth of gameplay to support this aspect. Along with this, its single-player story was also panned, and was considered a major downgrade over its predecessors.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is being developed for PC, and is slated for release in 2026. While you wait for the fourth entry in the RTS franchise, you can check out our review of the Definitive Edition release of the original Dawn of War, which came out earlier this year.

An emotional moment, to be sure, since it follows the release of Mysteria Ecclesiae, the final story DLC for the open-world RPG. On Twitter, the developer said it “can’t thank you enough for helping us reach this incredible milestone,” citing “players, fans, modders, creators, and long-time supporters.”

“From all of us at Warhorse, thank you for standing by Henry’s side and believing in what we do.”

Ever since its release last February, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has received near-universal acclaim for its gameplay, attention to detail and storytelling. It directly follows the events of the first game, with Henry of Skalitz venturing to the Bohemian Paradise and Kuttenberg in his continued quest to avenge his family.

Alongside Mysteria Ecclesiae, two other story DLC – Brushes with Death and Legacy of the Forge – have been released. New players can pick up all of this and the base game for just $79.99 on PC and $89.99 on consoles with the Royal Edition.

While this is seemingly the end for Henry, Warhorse Studios is teasing “something new on the horizon.” Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3, perhaps? Whatever it may be, a remaster or remake of the first game appears unlikely, but never say never.

“You helped us shape and polish this game, and all its DLCs, into what it became,” he wrote. “I just want to say thank you, sincerely.” Along with this, Jirsa also wrote about there being “something new on the horizon,” and while he didn’t provide many details, he did note that more details about this new project will be revealed soon.

“Don’t leave this place just yet,” Jirsa’s message continued. “There’s something new on the horizon, and I’d be glad to have you with us for what comes next.”

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 got its Mysteria Ecclesiae DLC earlier this month, and is the fourth DLC released for the title. The DLC takes players to a brand new area – Sedletz Monastery – where they are tasked with figuring out the mysteries behind a mysterious new disease that has been making the rounds at the church. Warhorse Studios has noted that the DLC’s new location was designed with historical accuracy in mind, and that its large new area offers players plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and discover new secrets.

The story of Mysteria Ecclesiae revolves around protgagonist Henry becoming an assistant to renowned healer Sigismind Albicus, who also has some ties with King Wenceslas. The two arrive in Sedletz Monastery and accidentally find themselves embroiled in a web of intrigue, along with added pressure of a new plague going around. The monastery itself also has several factions that players can interact with, with each one having its own motives.

Mysteria Ecclesiae follows the release of September’s The Legacy of the Forge, May’s Brushes With Death and February’s Shields of Seasons Passing DLCs. While most of these have been story-centric DLCs that explored various aspects of the games, like the world and its characters, the Shields of Seasons Passing DLC was simply a set of unique shield designs that gave players more options to customise Henry’s look and his arsenal.

Shortly after the release of Mysteria Ecclesiae, Warhorse Studios has also released Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Royal Edition. The release follows in the footsteps of the first game in the series, and includes the base game along with all of the DLC that has been released for it so far. This includes The Lion’s Crest and Gallant Huntsman Kit DLCs, which bring with them new quests, armour sets, and weapons.

For more details about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, check out our review of the base game. Also check out our reviews of Brushes With Death, The Legacy of the Forge, and Mysteria Ecclesiae. In the meantime, also check out details about the Hardcore Mode that had been released for the open-world RPG earlier this year.

So while you could traipse through Bohemia and net over 100 hours of gameplay, further stories await in Brushes With Death, Legacy of the Forge and Mysteria Ecclesiae. Naturally, it also includes all the updates released till now, from Barber Mode and Hardcore Mode to horse racing. If that wasn’t enough, The Lion’s Crest DLC and Gallant Huntsman’s Kit are also included.

The former packs a new quest, which rewards a legendary armor set and weapons, while the latter offers a crossbow and hunting outfit for Robin Hood wannabes. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Royal Edition costs $79.99 on PC and $89.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. If you’ve been holding off on experiencing the masterpiece and potential Game of the Year candidate, it’s worth diving in.

Mysteria Ecclesiae takes protagonist Henry to a brand new zone: Sedletz Monastery. While things start off simple, with Henry simply travelling through the building, a mysterious disease seems to be making its way through the place, and our plucky protagonist gets tasked with trying to figure out just what’s going on.

"This DLC is also rather light on combat."

Right from the beginning, Mysteria Ecclesiae makes a fantastic first impression thanks to just how well-designed and interesting the building is. Unlike what the zone’s name might imply, it isn’t just a mere building either. Thanks to the more grounded and realistic take Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has on its world, we get to see what kind of infrastructure is required to build and sustain such a zone, and the systems within the complex designs, ongoing maintenance, and logistics.

These form much of the backbone of the events in Mysteria Ecclesiae, since rather than going on a grand adventure this time around, you’re stuck in a relatively smaller zone, with the core gameplay revolving around investigation and conversations. To that end, there are plenty of interesting characters with their own stories to interact with, ranging from smaller ones like the fate of a Blazhena and her relationship with some of the supporting the cast, to Vojtiech and his buddies figuring out a new kind of philosophy that might not be too popular with the various NPCs.

Speaking of the visuals, it’s the fine detail woven through the areas around the structure that really shines. While impressive from the outside when you first get to the new zone, things get even more interesting when you start noticing the attention to detail that has been paid in designing the building’s surroundings, from the nearby field of hops, to a lush inner garden full of medicinal herbs and flowers, to the dark corridors, and even the fact that every NPC working at the building has their own separate chambers to sleep in. Simply stepping outside the monastery is a joy; watching the nearby labourers hard at work is an impressive sight in itself.

As the DLC’s title might indicate, mysteries drive the main story, and you’re primarily going to be exploring all the nooks and crannies in the building and talking to the people who live and work in the area to uncover more of the plot. To that end, this DLC is also rather light on combat. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; we’ve had the other DLCs for the base game that also make use of different core gameplay systems than just fighting. The last one, The Legacy of the Forge, largely revolved around crafting, for example.

"When we mentioned investigations, we didn’t really mean cloak and dagger stuff with a lot of intrigue to go around."

It is worth noting, however, that if you’re expecting brand new gameplay systems, you’re not really going to get any here. Keeping in line with the other DLCs that have been released so far, Mysteria Ecclesiae only really makes use of the core gameplay systems we’ve already grown used to from the base game. Aside from the new zone, story and characters, the only other brand-new things you’re going to find are some new pieces of equipment that largely serve as minor additions rather than straight up upgrades to things you might have already been carrying when you started the DLC.

The investigation-focused gameplay does tend to make fantastic use of the various subsystems in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, however. The conversation systems are still deep, and there’s plenty of great writing full of excellent characterization to find from even the most random characters you’ll find walking around.

When it comes to the main story itself, Mysteria Ecclesiae offers a slow burn. Things start out smoothly, with Henry accompanying Albich of Uniczov to the building as part of the latter’s attempts to gain an audience in relation to events surrounding Sigismund and King Wenceslas. This is quickly swept to the side, however, with the revelation of a mysterious plague making the rounds around the building, and Albich volunteering his help in figuring out whether this is yet another instance of the Black Plague.

When we mentioned investigations, we didn’t really mean cloak and dagger stuff with a lot of intrigue to go around. Rather, the story largely revolves around you trying to figure out the cause of this plague, and at the same time also trying to make sure that you can identify afflicted people quickly in order to quarantine them before the disease can spread even further. Things get kicked up a notch in Act II of the DLC, with all of the characters essentially being locked inside the building in the hopes of containing this outbreak. Even the gameplay tightens a little, as guards now patrol the grounds to ensure no one slips out and spreads the illness beyond the walls. This, in turn, introduces a small measure of stealth into the moment to moment play for Henry.

Mysteria Ecclesiae doesn’t really feel like much of a finale of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Rather, keeping in line with the other DLCs released so far, it feels like a side quest with incredibly high production values, right down to even featuring some great cutscenes. In fact, one of the early cutscenes in the story, when the building goes into full lockdown mode, feels quite chilling in an age where the entire world went through something similar a few years ago because of the pandemic that was spreading rapidly all over the planet. The reason for bringing this up is just to point out how real the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 feels, and how much further Mysteria Ecclesiae takes this feeling.

"While it’s a strong story with memorable characters, its separation from the broader game can work against the DLC."

Ultimately, while Mysteria Ecclesiae won’t really offer you any more closure on Henry’s story than the base game already provided, it still manages to feel like the best and most polished of the DLCs that have been released for the open-world RPG over the course of its year long post launch content cycle. It tells a fantastic self-contained story, and most importantly of all, it explores grounded playstyles, investigation, dialogue checks, and light stealth, instead of just piling on tougher enemies. The new area is a wonderful addition to the game, with the drawback being that it sits entirely apart from the wider world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 itself, at present.

And that, in essence, is the main drawback to Mysteria Ecclesiae. While it’s a strong story with memorable characters, its separation from the broader game can work against the DLC. Sedletz Monastery functions as a self contained, separately loaded area, and the narrative rarely steps beyond its walls, so the experience can feel detached from the wider world. It’s a deliberate, compact experience, but some players may miss a stronger link to the base game and its communities.

This game was reviewed on PC.

The last major project that Kolmann has worked on, according to his LinkedIn profile, was for the Hardcode mode in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Along with this, he has also served as writer, game designer, and lead game designer during his time at the studio.

Kolmann’s departure from Warhorse Studio comes hot on the heels of the developer having released the final bit of planned DLC for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Mysteria Ecclesiae. While more DLC for the title might eventually get made, for the time being, Mysteria Ecclesiae servers as the final bit of post-launch content that was first announced as part of the game’s season pass.

As for The Witcher 4, CD Projekt RED hasn’t announced much in the way of new information about the project. The closest to new details we’ve gotten so far was back in September, when narrative lead Philipp Weber hinted that we might see elements from the latest books by The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski in the upcoming RPG. The book in question – The Witcher: Crossroads of Raven – was shown off in a picture Weber posted on social media.

Responding to whether CD Projekt RED would actually use elements of the book, Weber noted that even The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which was under development when Season of Storms came out, had the developers try and incorporate some of the elements of the book at the time. We might end up seeing something similar happen with The Witcher 4.

“I can’t reveal how exactly we’ll do it, but Season of Storms also came out while we developed The Witcher 3, so we still tried to include some of the new elements,” wrote Weber. “You can expect something similar!”

CD Projekt RED had announced back in August that it was continuing to grow its development teams for both the upcoming RPG, as well as the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077. According to an H1 report filed by CD Projekt RED, the team working on The Witcher 4 has grown up to 444 employees as of the end of July, while Cyberpunk 2’s team has grown to 116 employees.

“Our recruitment efforts have significantly sped up over the last three months and as a result the total number of talented developers working across our projects has grown by 10% reaching almost 800 people,” said joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski in a presentation to investors. “This growth was primarily driven by our two largest development teams.”

The Witcher 4 doesn’t yet have a release date. The open-world RPG is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and will feature Ciri taking over as protagonist from Geralt.