Microsoft has made significant cuts, closing renowned studios like Arkane Austin (Prey), Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush), and Alpha Dog Games. Roundhouse Studios will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios. Will nothing keep studios safe anymore? Sigh.

Hades II is now available in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store, already offering more content than its completed predecessor. The first major update, including a new Underworld section, customisation for The Crossroads hub, and a new weapon, will take some months to release, per Supergiant’s announcement.

In a contrite tweet, Sony have announced the cancellation of plans to enforce PSN accounts for HELLDIVERS 2.

We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable. Thanks again for your continued support of Helldivers 2 and we’ll keep you updated on future plans.

It’s unclear what this means for Steam players in countries the game was removed from.

This super tight concept with an impressive amount of content won the LD55 Jam, under the theme of ‘Summoning’. Cool music, funny sounds, silly minigames, really polished, and more than anything just really fun and satisfying. It introduces mechanics well, escalates nicely and is genuinely addictive.

Daniel Mullins impresses again with this LD55 Compo winner. A clever jury-packing mechanic, noir storyline, unique characters and a polished design, Voir Dire explores its potential over about 15 minutes. Definitely worth playing to the end!

After enjoying three months of almost universal acclaim, Sony - in an incomprehensibly stupid move - has decided to make PSN accounts a requirement to continue playing HELLDIVERS 2. Since the announcement, the Steam review score has tanked to Overwhelmingly Negative, the game itself is no longer purchasable in 177 countries, and Steam are allowing refunds outside of the regular playtime window. Indeed, the HELLDIVERS 2 dev team themselves are encouraging negative reviews and refunds. You have to wonder what in the world is driving this decision and their apparent commitment to it.

POOLS is an intriguing and graphically impressive walking simulator through oppressive liminal spaces, which somehow straddles both dread and relaxation with its eerie atmosphere inspired by The Backrooms. Really immersive audiovisual design trawls the depth of your imagination to conjure threats unseen, and maybe even a narrative. It’s a short and tight experience, so doesn’t outstay its welcome.

INDIKA is very clearly a game by and for people who enjoy satirical, surreal and profound arthouse cinema. Its eclectic mix of realistic 3D and pixel art 2D is underpinned and elevated by strong writing and voice acting - I was hooked from the first scene, and it even stuck the landing. The narrative is dark and compelling, the puzzles are engaging, and more than anything its thought-provoking themes and presentation make it unforgettable. I would love more games like this.

Publisher Take-Two, owner of the highest-grossing entertainment product ever (GTA V), is shutting down the award-winning studios Roll7 (Rollerdrome, OlliOlli World) and Intercept Games (Kerbal Space Program). Turns out a 9/10 on IGN, a Golden Joystick award, GDC award and BAFTA is not enough. Terrible.

For all its egregious fan-service, turns out Stellar Blade is actually pretty good. You can tell Sekiro is there in its DNA somewhere - with a mild emphasis on parries - but I wish combat was a bit less forgiving and hack-n-slashy. There are a myriad of ways to approach each encounter, which is fun but again, lightens the difficulty a fair bit. I also wish there were more varied environments, which feel a bit samey at a certain point. Overall though, fun game with great music, cool enemies, boss designs and an engaging-enough story.