“It’s something I think Valve does not get anywhere near enough criticism about,” said Hall. “I’m honestly disgusted with gambling mechanics in video games at all – they have absolutely no place.”

He went on to also call out other developers that don’t think that predatory monetisation practices are a problem. Hall says that they should start providing raw data to the researchers who are actually interesting in seeing whether or not there are actual problems that needs addressing.

“My challenge to game developers,” he said, “is that if they think these things are not a problem, they make the data available to universities who are crying out to study this stuff.”

Valve helped popularise many of the monetisation methods that we’ve seen popping up in games over the last decade. While Team Fortress 2 was far from the first title to feature loot boxes, it did popularise the system, which would then go on to play an even larger role in the in-game economy of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Counter-Strike 2. Similarly, Dota 2 helped usher in the concept of a Battle Pass.

Hall also acknowledged that his own game – Icarus – has several DLCs that have been released since the survival crafting title launched in 2021. Referring to this as the Paradox model – named after the publisher that tends to release several DLCs for its games – he also said that it was the model that studio RocketWerkz needs to use to survive.

“I’m not happy either,” Hall said. “I agree with a lot of the people who get mad about the DLC approach. I don’t really like the Icarus approach. We needed it to survive.”

“I actually think a lot of gamers don’t realise that 99 percent of devs out there are sitting there going, I don’t like this. So who’s winning? Because it’s sure not us. There’s a lot of game studios like mine that are just holding on and trying to keep making the games we want to make, but not necessarily happy with how they monetise.”

With the next title that RocketWerkz is working on, Hall has said that he wants to find a different method of monetisation. The title – dubbed Kitten Space Agency – is quite heavily inspired by Kerbal Space Program, and will have players building rockets and spacecrafts to fly out into space. It’s free, but those who like it can pay to support its development.

“I want to find a different way,” said Hall. “We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to try something. And if there’s ever a game that deserves trying that, it’s a [Kerbal Space Program]-style game. That’s one game, I think maybe we can try and do something different. We say games can inspire, and inspiration should be free, which is kind of a tagline with [Kitten Space Agency]. I think the game deserves better, I really do – I think the game deserves to be free.”

Icarus will see players constantly heading out from their space station, which serves as a hub, to land on an alien planet, where you will build new structures, hunt animals, take on contracts, and all around make yourself stronger, which you can do either solo or co-op. The focus here is on shorter repeatable runs, and regular returns to the space station. A new gameplay trailer shows some of the game’s main features and mechanics in action. Check it out below.

Meanwhile, recently, it was also recently confirmed that when Icarus launches, it will support Global Illumination, so you can expect that visual bump as well. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more info.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is getting DLSS support, as is Rainbow Six Siege. DLSS support has also been confirmed for upcoming sci-fi survival title Icarus, which will also support Global Illumination. LEGO Builder’s Journey is launching for PC on June 22, and will support both ray tracing and DLSS. Meanwhile, upcoming first person horror puzzle title DYING: 1983 will support DLSS and ray-traced reflections, shadows, caustics, and Global Illumination. Sci-fi horror shooter The Persistence, which is getting an “Enhanced” update soon, will also be adding DLSS and ray tracing on June 11.

Nvidia has also released brief videos showing the updates in action for Rainbow Six Siege, Icarus, LEGO Builder’s Journey, DYING: 1983, and The Persistence. Take a look at all of them below.

At the PC Gaming Show, Dean Hall of Rocketwerkz – who you might know as the former creator of DayZ – announced his new project. Icarus is a new co-op science fiction survival title. However, it’s doing some things a little differently than what most survival games do. Rather than opting for a more longform open-ended approach, Icarus will be a session-based game.

As detailed over on PC Gamer, players will drop from a space station and land on an alien planet, where they will gather resources, hunt alien animals, and more, while also being able to invite other players to drop to the planet with them. Before every drop, you’ll be able to take on contracts, such as gather certain resources from a certain section of the planet. The contracts can be of varying lengths, and can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours long. Additionally, Icarus is also a handcrafted game, which means nothing will be procedurally generated.

Here’s the interesting part- Icarus has a pretty interesting failstate. If you cannot make it back to our dropship at the end of your contract to go back to the space station in time, the ship will leave without you. That character, then, will die, and you’ll lose all your progression with them, having to start with a new character from scratch.

Icarus will launch in 2021 as a free-to-play title.

DayZ creator Dean Hall will be revealing his newest game at EGX Rezzed. The expo will take place from March 30th till April 1st and as per Eurogamer, attendees will be able to go hands on with it. A panel will also be hosted by Hall where he discusses his new game.

Hall’s new studio, RocketWerkz, will also likely be up for discussion. The studio currently has five different games in development including Out of Ammo for HTC Vive and Ion.

As for DayZ, the console versions have been in development for a while now. Bohemia Interactive noted last year that they were still in development but 99 percent of the studio’s resources are focused on the PC version. As it stands, whether DayZ arrives this year or not remains to be seen but don’t hold your breath.

What could Hall’s new game have in store for us? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

Microsoft’s E3 2015 conference had its share of surprises, not the least of which included DayZ creator Dean Hall who took the stage to announce his next game ION. As a simulation MMO, ION will see players head into space and try to survive using the laws of science rather than relying on quests and such. Check out the debut trailer for the game above.

ION is inspired by the cult favourite “Space Station 13” and is very much an MMO which players occupy. You’ll work towards colonizing the universe for humanity, building and maintaining large space stations in the process. Environments will be fully simulated so you’ll have to manager power supply and air pressure. Everything is interconnected and Hall’s new studio RocketWerkz has been collaborating with Improbably Studios on the technology.

ION will be heading to Xbox One and PC first and it will be available through the recently announced Game Preview Program. Let us know what you think of the concept in the comments.