First on the list is guest checkout, which allows you to buy games without a Steam account, with its previous iterations limited to hardware and gift cards. Well, picking up a copy of a game from your friend’s wishlist is now seamless, with the option to share lists now on the table. If it’s meant to be a surprise, all you need is the recipient’s email, and the resulting email will have all they need to log into their account and redeem the present. You need to ensure that their account is in the same country of purchase, and that they redeem it within 30 days before it automatically gets refunded to you.

Interestingly, you can now gift games directly to your friends across regions, with Steam calculating the final cost at checkout and saving you the hassle of calculating how many gift cards you needed to cover the price of a game. The recipient needs to be on your friends list, though, so keep that in mind. The announcement rounds out the new additions with expanded wishlist functionality that’s removed the requirement for you to be friends with a recipient to gift someone a game, and the ability to create specific, filtered wishlists that link to share with your family and friends. Anyone sending you a gift gets your details auto-populated in the checkout cart.

All in all, gifting games is definitely going to be more seamless if Steam is your go-to digital storefront. It’s interesting that these changes have come about at a time when there are a lot of conversations around games ownership, but that’s a subject for another conversation.

According to Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott, the DLC packs’ revenue is reportedly quite small compared to the remake. Resynced is estimated to have sold 701,000 copies on the storefront, earning about $35.1 million in revenue, but the DLC adds nearly $1 million on top. The Map Pack has proven the most popular choice with a 6.34 percent attach rate, which makes sense given that it’s only $5.

Otherwise, Black Flag Resynced has proven more successful than Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Aside from higher peak concurrent players, its day one revenue is allegedly 2.35 times higher. That’s despite retailing for $60, $10 cheaper than Shadows at launch.

For more details, check out our review, where we scored it a 9 out of 10. You can also read Ubisoft’s response to the backlash against the DLC, noting that they’re completely optional and not necessary to enjoy the base game.

There was that backlash to DLC packs that cost more than the base game when put together, for starters. That drew quite a bit of backlash, and reflected in the game’s Steam reviews for a while before things began to stabilize. It’s still a really good game, after all, with additions that make it stand out as a superb current-gen version of a beloved classic. We can’t say we were fans of Ubisoft’s response in that case, but at least there was one.

However, Ubisoft itself could be Resynced’s worst enemy if this weekend’s Ubisoft Connect Outage is anything to go by. It locked players out of the game for nearly an hour, during which there were nearly 15,000 players eager to get into its new and improved take on the Caribbean, thanks to the PC version’s reliance on a one-time DRM check before offline play became available. Ubisoft has yet to offer any comments or explanations, and we’re wondering if it’s considering long-term solutions to such issues with Connect.

When other big names in gaming are taking a lot of flak for a questionable approach to digital exclusivity of video games, you have to wonder if Ubisoft will get out in front of the problem sooner rather than later.

Of course, there’s been that backlash about those expensive DLC Packs, and that unfortunate hour of downtime that had Ubisoft Connect unable to complete DRM-related checks for new players on Steam. However, Resynced’s success has now catapulted Assassin’s Creed into the lofty and prestigious ranks of the best-selling video game franchises in history, with over 250 million copies sold, per a recent press release.

It’s enraptured numerous players over the years, much like the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order have done for their recruits across the many time periods we’ve visited. We’ve seen them at their best and worst, and while we’d like to see more of the First Civilization in the future, it’s enough to know that Junko’s out there, and now has a physical form thanks to those intriguing companion novels.

If there’s a story that could have the space to bring her devious and calculating nature to life, we’d bet that Codename Hexe might be a good place to start, but that’s a while away. For now, it’s back to The Jackdaw and the Caribbean seas in Resynced.

While two of these – the Master Assassin Character and Naval Packs – are included in the Deluxe Edition, you have to purchase the other six (alongside the Map Pack) separately. Given that the latter comes to around $65 for those who already spent $70 (or $85 for those who bought the Standard Edition), it doesn’t leave the best taste.

Multiple users called this out, but one review in particular received hundreds of awards and likes. “Come on Ubisoft, you just couldn’t hold yourself, huh?! Releasing a €70 game and on the DAY of the release you slap us with €85 worth of DLC packs that are just not cosmetic but give you a gameplay advantage!”

Surprisingly, Ubisoft responded to this. “We’ve seen your feedback since launch, and we’re reading all of it. Thank you for caring this much about Black Flag Resynced. We want to be clear on one point: the Standard Edition is the full, complete experience.

“Every mission, every island, the full story and the complete world are all there, with nothing held back. The additional packs are entirely optional extras for players who want them, never a requirement to enjoy or complete the game. We’ll keep listening as you play!”

While technically correct, it still doesn’t help the publisher’s overall image, especially for the remake of a 2013 title that’s commanding triple-A prices. The fact that it added the packs at launch and didn’t reveal them beforehand doesn’t help either. Of course, given the number of studios that have worked on Resynced, Ubisoft probably feels that it’s justified (and it’s not technically wrong – these are optional).

We’ll see which side the commercial response falls on in the coming months, but per estimates, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is off to a strong start. It reportedly sold over 300,000 copies on Steam before launch, generating nearly $14 million in revenue. Ubisoft has yet to comment on sales, so stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

However, the player response isn’t the most positive at the moment. Resynced currently has a “Mixed” rating, with only 45 percent of its 1067 user reviews recommending it. Among the complaints are additional microtransactions for packs not included in the Deluxe Edition, which carry their own gear and cosmetics; cutscenes capped at 30 frames per second; the new menus which feel less comfortable to navigate; and so on.

While some of these come down to preference – the remake does make sweeping changes in terms of removing modern-day Animus segments and overhauling the combat – it’s hard to disagree with the microtransactions. There are three additional Character Packs and three additional Naval Packs separate from the Deluxe Edition, each costing $10. That’s not even including the $5 Map Pack.

Which is a shame because, given the number of studios that have worked on the title and its positive reviews (check out ours here), you would think Ubisoft would want to avoid the bad publicity. We’ll see if any changes arrive down the line, so stay tuned for updates.

The latest trailer showcases some of the horrors that Calvin Rafferty will encounter throughout 1920s Arkham. Besides the Slither, who reanimate corpses and attempt to “convert” you in the most gruesome way possible, there are also Deep Ones that pose a greater challenge. You may also happen upon Shadows, which defy description.

And unlike the first game, this is a proper survival horror, where conserving ammo, using the environment and running away are the key to survival. Not that Calvin won’t be solving any mysteries, though, especially since connecting clues in your journal can help unlock upgrades that will make life easier. They may even open new paths.

For more details on The Sinking City 2, you can check out our hands-on preview here, which details two missions, including one in the early game. You can also check out this developer diary for more information on investigations.

Well, you’re going to see more friendly faces on its chaotic streets as the game is prepping to launch on Steam in the near future, with wishlists already open for those who are enthusiastic enough to join in. It’s been quite entertaining taking on waves of enemies with the game’s cover-based shooting and a customization system that offers scope for some truly unique looks and a lot of player freedom.

Granted, you could technically play it on your PC via the Ubisoft Store. However, Resurgence’s Steam launch is definitely good news for a title that needs more Agents joining the fray. If nothing else, it ensures more assistance during matchmade and endgame activities (though it also means the Dark Zone will be a lot more dangerous).

The announcement has come via a pretty intense trailer that we’ve showcased below if you and your buddies are looking for a new shooter to team up in. As for The Division 3, it’s slowly making progress, if a new mass hiring spree by Ubisoft is any indication.

It’s a nay on the latter, but the good news is that the game’s now making its way to the PS5, with a new trailer showcased at the recent State of Play.

And what a trailer it is. It begins as any encounter with dinosaurs left to run free in their natural habitat would, with one attacking potential protagonists, crashing into their car as they take a leisurely ride through a beautifully rendered forest. Well, what follows is a showcase of a gameplay loop in which you’re the prey and need to keep your wits about you as you navigate the world. This is a game about patience, restraint, and carefully considered actions, all of which you’re going to need if you don’t want to end up as a dinosaur’s next meal.

The developers are touting this one as a subversion of modern gaming’s tried and tested power fantasy, and we’re more than inclined to agree. You’d probably feel the same way after you watch the new trailer.

“Customers have enormous choice, whether they buy the game on an Xbox, whether they buy it on Steam, whether they buy it on Epic Games Store or whether they buy it directly from software developers,” said Newell in his testimony.

As for the supposed “unwritten rule,” Newell denied its existence. Interestingly, he kept denying it even when he was shown communications that indicated that there were employees at Valve that attempted to enforce such a rule. He said, “Valve does not have a policy or practice of dictating prices to third-party software developers on other platforms.”

“Many of our partners and many of our customers are quite happy with the service that we’re providing,” he responded when asked how his company would react if such a rule were to be put in place.

Wolfire Games had filed its lawsuit against Valve as part of its attempts to represent game developers. In a statement from back in 2021, studio CEO David Rosen had alleged that Valve’s conduct and practices had harmed gamers and developers. This decision was made due to the studio’s desire to try and sell its 2017 title Overgrowth at a discounted rate on “new video game stores” that “charged much lower commissions than Valve.”

“But when I asked Valve about this plan, they replied that they would remove Overgrowth from Steam if I allowed it to be sold at a lower price anywhere, even from my own website without Steam keys and without Steam’s DRM,” he wrote. “This would make it impossible for me, or any game developer, to determine whether or not Steam is earning their commission. I believe that other developers who charged lower prices on other stores have been contacted by Valve, telling them that their games will be removed from Steam if they did not raise their prices on competing stores.”

Rosen explained that the crux of his lawsuit came down to the fact that Valve’s Steam was seen by many in the industry as an outright monopoly since, despite the presence of other stores like Epic Games Store, Steam had the majority of the user base, and missing a release on the platform would mean that a studio would have to give up on the majority of its potential sales.

He wrapped up his announcement by stating his belief that this was the main reason behind competing stores never succeeding as much as Valve has.

It is worth noting that there is likely some level of truth to Rosen’s allegations, at least when it comes to Valve’s dominant position in the market. However, as many Steam users will also point out, it tends to be their preferred platform to buy and play games on due to the fact that other stores, like the Epic Games Store, tend to be quite underbaked when it comes to features.