Rebellion, one of the world's most successful independent video game developers and publishers, has announced that Atomfall significantly surpassed the one million player mark over the weekend, having only launched last week. In total Atomfall has now been played by over 1.5 million players. A brand-new IP set in the north of England, Atomfall is Rebellion's most successful launch in the company's 32-year history.

"We are delighted that so many players are enjoying Atomfall," said Jason Kingsley CBE, CEO and co-founder of Rebellion. "To have surpassed the one million players in such a short space of time speaks volumes for the creativity and dedication of the entire team here at Rebellion. Our size and stability mean that we can take risks to create something as different as Atomfall. Happily, that risk is paying off. We are a British company, and the game is a true reflection of that. Not only is it set in the lush, beautiful countryside but Atomfall also draws inspiration from so many classic British books, films and TV series. We hope that players continue to enjoy exploring the world of Atomfall and are looking forward to future content for the game."

The upcoming collaboration project between Microsoft and ASUS is slowly materializing in the form of a handheld gaming console, as recently released promotional material shows. The latest teaser video shows an ASUS ROG Ally and Xbox controller merging into a single unit, becoming an animated character, indicating a hardware partnership that combines Microsoft's software ecosystem with ASUS's portable hardware expertise. Project Kennan, as the device is reportedly codenamed, contradicts earlier Xbox executive statements regarding development timelines. Initial projections suggested the hardware launch within a 2-3 year window, yet current information suggests a potential Q3/Q4 2025 release, with perhaps an announcement in Q2 this year. Following Steam Deck's market success, the accelerated schedule may come from increased competitive pressure in the handheld PC gaming segment.

The device appears to feature a predominantly black chassis, though other specifications remain undisclosed. AMD architecture integration will likely continue the foundation established in both Xbox Series consoles and the ROG Ally platform. This hardware choice would prioritize performance-per-watt efficiency crucial for portable gaming applications. A significant technical decision remains regarding the operating system implementation: whether to deploy standard Windows with Xbox integration or develop a custom Xbox-centric interface layer. This choice will directly impact ecosystem compatibility, application support, and user experience fluidity. Both companies have maintained limited official communication regarding the project, with the teaser video serving as the primary confirmation of their collaboration.

Greetings Commanders, Grit and Valor - 1949 is now available for purchase on Steam! Thank you all for your support on the journey so far. Seeing you react to our content, leave feedback and participate in our demos and beta has meant everything to us. We hope you enjoy the full game and cannot wait to hear what you think, so please leave a review.

Set in an alternate-history World War II, command an elite squad of resistance mech pilots against the technologically superior forces of the Evil Axis. The year is 1949, and the Axis powers have dominated with their mechanical war machines. As the commander of the resistance, you must rally Allied mech pilots and lead a daring mission into the heart of New Germany to deliver the EMP weapon and end the war once and for all. Command your squad and strategize your every move adapting to dynamic battlefields and overwhelming enemy war machines. With a blend of tactical decision-making, rogue-lite progression, and intense boss encounters, you will be challenged to make split-second decisions and discover the best strategy for survival and reclaim Europe region by region!

As we touched on last week, there are now over 1000 developers utilizing Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA) for their games, bringing their amazing experiences to players across a variety of devices they own. If you've never heard of XPA before, let us give you a refresher: when you buy a digital game that supports XPA through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it's available to play on your Xbox console, Windows 10/11 PC, and supported handheld gaming devices at no additional cost. Even better, your progression comes with you across all platforms.

While the benefits of XPA for players are clear, we wanted to show you how developers have embraced this feature for their games. At this year's annual ID@Xbox Showcase event at GDC, we chatted with the teams behind upcoming XPA games Clair Obsur: Expedition 33, Detective Dotson, and Towerborne to learn more about what influenced their decision to implement this feature and what benefits it may hold for their gaming communities.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is out now on Steam, inviting you on a journey with the stealthy shinobi Naoe and powerful samurai Yasuke as they explore Feudal Japan and discover a shared destiny. As you recruit allies, expand your Hideout, and use your network to gather knowledge about the world, Steam offers a number of additional ways to enjoy the game—let's take a look at what you need to know about playing Assassin's Creed Shadows on Steam.

Achievements
There are many Steam achievements available for Assassin's Creed Shadows and all of them can be earned in a single playthrough, regardless of story choices or difficulty level. They are earned not only by playing through the main story, but also by exploring the world, completing different activities, upgrading the Hideout, meeting allies, and more. Check the full list here.

Pick up MySims: Cozy Bundle and rediscover the charm of two classic MySims games. Use your imagination to rebuild a town in MySims and help a cute magical land become an even better place in MySims Kingdom. There are stories to uncover, locations to explore, and lots of characters with big personalities to have fun with. Meet funny, friendly characters filled with personality! Some will be with you the whole time, and others you'll meet as you play and explore. Help them, give them gifts, and become friends (or even BEST friends!) as they inspire you to get even more creative. You're not only building houses, you're building communities of memorable, adorable townies!

Sul Sul, MySimmers! MySims is now available on Steam! We have loved bringing this game to you on Switch, so we're excited that PC gamers now get to enjoy the same levels of cozy customization. But we aren't done *just* yet. We have also been working hard on a couple new additions that will be coming to PC soon…. Stay tuned for more updates…

Assassin's Creed Shadows, launching on March 20, will continue the series' tradition of bringing players closer to history with a section of its database titled "Cultural Discovery." As part of the in-game Codex, this feature offers players carefully selected encyclopedic entries on the history, art, and culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. This cultural encyclopedia was written by historians and includes images from museums and institutions. Similar to the History of Baghdad feature in Assassin's Creed Mirage, Cultural Discovery will be integrated into the main game of Assassin's Creed Shadows, and is tied to player progression. Cultural Discovery contains almost two times as many entries as the History of Baghdad, with more than 125 entries at launch, and more to come.

As players visit sites that provide a historical and cultural exploration of 16th-century Japan, they will unlock articles on the economy, castles, military affairs, daily life, historical figures, and events. One notable cultural codex entry, shown above, features an exclusive replica of a Kabuto, or Japanese war helmet, that symbolizes the first contact between Japan and Spain. The original Kabuto is part of one of the oldest collections of Japanese armor in Europe, and is kept at the Royal Armory in Madrid. This Kabuto had been almost entirely damaged during the fire suffered by the Royal Armory on July 10, 1884. Ubisoft, Patrimonio Nacional, and Spanish company Factum Arte joined forces to recover what was left of this Feudal Japan relic, create a faithful physical reconstruction of it, and make it accessible to people around the world through its inclusion in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The physical replica from Factum Arte will become part of the Royal Armory of Madrid's collection.

On more than one occasion, Assassin's Creed Shadows developer, Ubisoft, has assured gamers that the upcoming Assassin's Creed title set in feudal Japan would be playable on the Steam Deck and, by extension, desktop Linux, via Valve's Proton. Ubisoft, however, was seemingly convinced that Shadows would not get the official Steam Deck Verified rating in time for release. In mid-February 2025, Ubisoft confirmed via a Steam Community post that the Steam Deck did not meet the minimum hardware requirements necessary for a smooth gameplay experience, but today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows will be Steam Deck Verified on launch day.

This comes after Ubisoft also announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows will also support day-one Steam Achievements, as opposed to other Assassin's Creed games, which only got Steam Achievements later on. According to the post announcing the Steam Deck Verified status, Ubisoft's development team had to put significant work into optimizing Assassin's Creed Shadows to get it to run properly on the Steam Deck. Perhaps somewhat frustratingly, it seems as though Ubisoft is forcing Steam Deck players into a pre-determined set of graphics settings, with no ability to tweak them at launch on the Steam Deck. There will apparently be multiple upscalers from which players can choose, although Ubisoft did not specify what the options would be.

In an exclusive report, Windows Central has claimed that Microsoft is collaborating with an unnamed "PC gaming OEM" on an Xbox handheld console. Jez Corden has heard from several insiders; they reckon that a "later in 2025" launch is possible, if development goes smoothly enough. A leak from Winter 2024 indicated that Microsoft's gaming division was "targeting a handheld gaming experience," but Phil Spencer has freely disclosed his ambitions for his team's portable project. Last November, he confirmed that something was in pipeline—with a view to take on very visible competition: Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. The latest Windows Central investigative piece divulges some unprecedented details about: "codename 'Keenan,' this gaming handheld will look unmistakably 'Xbox' we're told, complete with an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities. Given that this is a partner device, similar to Lenovo's SteamOS partnership with Valve, I expect this handheld to be more PC-oriented. Keenan is almost definitely running full Windows, putting the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass front and center, alongside the ability to install things like Steam."

Based on inside track knowledge, Corden anticipates operating system innovations: "I expect the handheld will test new Windows 11 'device aware' capabilities, while reducing third-party OEM bloatware that are typical of devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally. I expect Microsoft will leverage widgets on the Xbox Game Bar on PC for controlling things like TDP and fan speed, while hopefully having a more streamlined OS experience for controller use. Of course, existing PC gaming OEMs will benefit from these efforts as well—but the research will also help with Microsoft's further-out plans." Almost a month and a half ago, Spencer outlined a sort of wishlist for "innovative" future Xbox hardware—given that Sony is rumored to be devising a "standalone PlayStation handheld," he was likely envisioning next-gen home consoles. Windows Central's sources have provided additional insights into potential Xbox Series X|S successors.

Embrace the power of friendship and explore sci-fi and fantasy worlds with your co-op buddy today! A message from Hazelight Studios—every game we've released has embraced a key word. In "A Way Out" it was "Trust" and in "It Takes Two" it was "Collaboration." With Split Fiction, it's all about "Friendship." That is also the heart of the experience we hope you will have as you play the game. Whether it is strengthening your bond with a partner or immersing yourself in the journey with an old friend.

We created Split Fiction by putting passion, creativity and a big love of video games first. This is a game that was built collaboratively by everyone at Hazelight and we haven't shied away from putting not only our best but also wildest ideas into it. We hope you will enjoy playing our game as much as we did making it. We are so eager to let you and other players around the world finally dive into our latest co-op adventure. To say that we're proud of it is an understatement! We also hope you will make those lasting memories in Split Fiction that only come from sharing an experience with someone else - that's what it's all about in the end.

Time for a roaring-good time with Capcom's hit Monster Hunter Wilds. GeForce NOW members can hunt even the largest, most daunting monsters with the sharpest clarity, armed with a GeForce RTX 4080-class gaming rig in the cloud. Plus, jump into mind-bending adventures with Split Fiction from Hazelight Studios, an action-adventure experience that will keep players on the edges of their seats with plenty of unexpected twists. It's all part of the eight games available to stream in the cloud this week.

The Hunt Begins
Happy hunting in the cloud. The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless in Monster Hunter Wilds, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality. Members can fulfill their duties as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong, new weapons and armor from materials harvested from the hunt, all while uncovering the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit.

Samsung Display announced today its participation in the Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC25), the world's premier connectivity event. At this influential gathering, Samsung Display will unveil its "OLED Magic" concept, showcasing the future of display technology.

The exhibition will highlight Samsung OLED's superior display quality through innovative form factors, featuring a tribute to the iconic landmarks of Spain, where MWC25 is being held. Attendees will be treated to a unique experience as Samsung OLED captures and expresses the vibrant, distinctive colors of Spain. A highlight of the exhibition will be the Seamless Color Studio, where the exceptional quality of OLED displays can be experienced across a variety of devices. The event will also showcase On-Cell Film (OCF) technology, a cutting-edge advancement in premium display technology.

Hey folks! The time has come. Die in the Dungeon is now available in Early Access! So grab your dice and jump in! But that's not all! We've also prepared a Supporter Pack featuring the game's soundtrack, a special Cinder armor skin, and an adorable Baby Fly companion. We'd be incredibly grateful for your support if you decide to grab this pack! And there's more! We've put together a series of bundles with additional discounts, offering something for everyone.

A huge thank you for supporting us throughout this journey! Please report any issues you encounter—we're here for you and are kicking off full game support from day one of release. Your feedback has been the driving force behind many improvements in the game, and it will continue to shape its development. Join us on Discord to share your thoughts, or leave your feedback in the Steam forums! Enjoy the game!

We're happy to share that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is Steam Deck Verified! Experience two playable Spider-Men, traverse an expanded Marvel's New York and battle iconic Marvel Super Villains on your handheld device now! Be Greater. Together. The incredible power of the symbiote forces Peter Parker and Miles Morales into a desperate fight as they balance their lives, friendships, and their duty to protect in an exciting chapter of the critically acclaimed Spider-Man franchise on PC.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PC—Patch 3 Release Notes
Patch 3 is available now for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC! This week's update includes stability improvements and bug fixes based on player feedback. We've also implemented the latest version of the NVIDIA Streamline SDK and included dozens of small visual bug fixes related to various aspects such as reflections, ray-traced shadows and textures. We are actively working on more updates with additional bug fixes and performance optimizations. Thank you to everyone for playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC and for providing feedback to help us continue to improve the game!

The wait is finally over. Play Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii now, and embark on an over-the-top, modern-day pirate adventure with an ex-yakuza, now pirate captain and his crew. A new legend begins as you step into the steel toe boots of Goro Majima, a man who has lost his memory and reinvents himself as a pirate on the open sea.

PIRATE YAKUZA ADVENTURE AHOY!
Goro Majima, a notorious ex-yakuza suddenly finds himself shipwrecked on a remote island in the Pacific. Unable to remember even his own name, he sets sail in search of clues to his lost memories, accompanied by a boy named Noah who saved his life. Before long, they're caught up in a conflict between cutthroat criminals, modern-day pirates, and other scoundrels over a legendary treasure.

Ale Abbey is now released in Early Access! Enjoy a 10% launch discount until March 4th, and you can enjoy the Brewmaster Edition with the entire game soundtrack. We hope you'll enjoy the game to its fullest. If you did, don't forget to leave us a review—it helps us a lot!

The game was announced in 2022 and was covered every week on IndieDB. It then joined Steam in 2024, and after last year's Next Fest and the first demo becoming available. We are happy to count you as one of our brewers! It was a long time in the making, and no matter when you joined the journey, we have built this abbey, and now it's finally time for you to brew something in it.

Extas1s is a prominent name in the rumor arena, who has provided trustworthy information in the past. Joining hands with HandleDeck, the duo recently made an interesting claim of Valve secretly working on a Steam Console of sorts, or perhaps some sort of eGPU for the Steam Deck. To back up their claims, the duo cited the fact that Valve is putting quite a lot of effort into drivers for AMD's soon-to-be released Radeon RX 9070 GPUs, and since those are desktop-only parts, a stationary console that will allow Valve to lock horns with Sony and Microsoft is likely in the works.

However, it appears that the duo may have rushed to a conclusion instead of considering the facts on the table. GamingOnLinux, who was quick to respond to the claims made by HandleDeck and Extas1s, stated that Valve working on AMD drivers for future hardware is nothing out of the ordinary, adding that Valve invests in a "lot of different areas for Linux", and not just the areas that concern their own products, which is absolutely true. This time around, the speculations arose when a Valve developer commented that Mesa drivers support for RDNA 4 cards should be good enough.

Bohemia awaits! Good things come to those who wait…Kingdom Come: Deliverance II pre-load is available NOW on all platforms! A thrilling story-driven action RPG, with a rich open world, set in 15th century Medieval Europe. Experience the ultimate medieval adventure—through the eyes of young Henry—as you embark on a journey of epic proportions. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II releases on 4 February 2025 on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

Steam Deck Verified
Take Henry's journey on the go and experience medieval Bohemia wherever you may roam. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is officially playable on Steam Deck. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a gripping tale of revenge, betrayal and discovery. Embark on an epic journey from a humble blacksmith's forge to the court of Kings. From bustling city streets to lush forests, discover this open-world Medieval Europe through an unforgettable adventure filled with action, thrill and wonder.

A new Steam Deck mod is here, and the performance improvements that it brings to the table appear to be quite promising, thanks to the magic of frame generation. The gaming handheld is not exactly the most performant in terms of raw GPU performance, so technologies such as AMD's FSR 3 undoubtedly improve the gaming experience on the Deck by quite a substantial degree. Dubbed Decky Framegen, the plugin utilizes AMD FSR 3 to generate frames without having to go about rendering them, thereby increasing FPS quite a lot.

As of right now, this plugin allows gamers to employ frame generation in unsupported games such as Final Fantasy XVI, Witcher 3, Hogwarts Legacy, and a few others. Deck Wizard's detailed video reveals that the plugin does quite a good job, allowing for playable framerates in several titles. However, the games which are unable to manage 30 FPS are unlikely to benefit much, owing to the issues surrounding input lag. Moreover, a few graphical glitches here and there are also to be expected, which is something that many purists might not entirely be willing to deal with. Considering that Valve recently shot rumors of an AMD Ryzen Z2-powered Steam Deck 2 being in the works, there is no denying that those holding out for hardware improvements, still have a fair amount of waiting to do.

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, winner of over 40 Game of the Year awards globally, is now available worldwide on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The award-winning RPG is also available now on the PlayStation 5 (PS5) console, with enhanced support for the PlayStation 5 Pro. Heralded as "the best Final Fantasy of the century" by The Washington Post and recipient of over 110 perfect review scores, FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH comes to the PC platform with a variety of new features and customizations that deliver a new level of realism and immersion to the unknown journey including:

• Improved lighting across the entire game renders the adventure with even greater beauty and clarity.
• 4K resolution and 120 FPS are supported on top-spec PCs.
• Greater polygon and texture density can be achieved through optional settings. FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH has never looked better.
• With DualSense controller support, enjoy the same controls and immersive haptic feedback as on the PS5 console.
• NVIDIA DLSS allows for upscaled image quality and enhanced framerates.
• Variable refresh rate (VRR) enables smoother gameplay with compatible hardware.
• Full control rebinding, plus mouse and keyboard support. Freely customize controls between world exploration and combat or mini-games.
• FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH is Steam Deck Verified for an optimized handheld experience.

Cue the iconic FINAL FANTASY fanfare because we can confirm that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is officially Steam Deck Verified! Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun da duuuuun! That means upon launch on January 23, you'll be able to play the critically acclaimed RPG on a train, on a plane, swaddled up in bed, in the bathroom… wherever you want. It's fine - we won't judge.

Of course, you can also play on your desktop, where depending on your rig you'll be able to benefit from frame rates of up to 120 FPS and a range of visual enhancements, including refined lighting, improved environment detail, more detailed textures. You'll also potentially be able to experience enhanced framerates and image quality with NVIDIA DLSS. VRR is also supported. You can get a sense of the PC enhancements in the new trailer (below), and check out our previous article for more details.

This GFN Thursday recaps the latest cloud announcements from the CES trade show, including GeForce RTX gaming expansion across popular devices such as Steam Deck, Apple Vision Pro spatial computers, Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and Pico mixed-reality devices. Gamers in India will also be able to access their PC gaming library at GeForce RTX 4080 quality with an Ultimate membership for the first time in the region. This follows expansion in Chile and Columbia with GeForce NOW Alliance partner Digevo. More AAA gaming is on the way, with highly anticipated titles DOOM: The Dark Ages and Avowed joining GeForce NOW's extensive library of over 2,100 supported titles when they launch on PC later this year. Plus, no GFN Thursday is complete without new games. Get ready for six new titles joining the cloud this week.

Head in the Clouds
CES 2025 is coming to a close, but GeForce NOW members still have lots to look forward to. Members will be able to play over 2,100 titles from the GeForce NOW cloud library at GeForce RTX quality on Valve's popular Steam Deck device with the launch of a native GeForce NOW app, coming later this year. Steam Deck gamers can gain access to all the same benefits as GeForce RTX 4080 GPU owners with a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership, including NVIDIA DLSS 3 technology for the highest frame rates and NVIDIA Reflex for ultra-low latency.

The Firaxis team is happy to announce that Sid Meier's Civilization VII is officially Steam Deck Verified! Whether you're at home or on the go, get ready to take one more turn when Civilization VII launches on February 11, 2025! The award-winning strategy game franchise returns with a revolutionary new chapter. Sid Meier's Civilization VII empowers you to build the greatest empire the world has ever known!

In Civilization VII, your strategic decisions shape the unique cultural lineage of your evolving empire. Rule as one of many legendary leaders from throughout history and steer the course of your story by choosing a new civilization to represent your empire in each Age of human advancement. Construct cities and architectural wonders to expand your territory, improve your civilization with technological breakthroughs, and conquer or cooperate with rival civilizations as you explore the far reaches of the unknown world. Pursue prosperity in an immersive solo experience or play with others in online multiplayer.

With Lenovo's announcement at CES 2025 of the Lenovo Legion Go S, we are pleased to share that their "Powered by SteamOS" model is the first handheld officially licensed to ship with Valve's SteamOS. We built this operating system to provide a seamless user experience optimized for gaming, while retaining access to the power and flexibility of a PC. SteamOS is the same operating system we run on Steam Deck, and the team is making updates to ensure it fully supports the Lenovo Legion Go S and provides the same seamless experience customers expect.

In addition, the same work that we are doing to support the Lenovo Legion Go S will improve compatibility with other handhelds. Ahead of Legion Go S shipping, we will be shipping a beta of SteamOS which should improve the experience on other handhelds, and users can download and test this themselves. And of course we'll continue adding support and improving the experience with future releases.

GeForce NOW turns any device into a GeForce RTX gaming PC, and is bringing cloud gaming and AAA titles to more devices and regions. Announced today at the CES trade show, gamers will soon be able to play titles from their Steam library at GeForce RTX quality with the launch of a native GeForce NOW app for the Steam Deck. NVIDIA is working to bring cloud gaming to the popular PC gaming handheld device later this year.

In collaboration with Apple, Meta and ByteDance, NVIDIA is expanding GeForce NOW cloud gaming to Apple Vision Pro spatial computers, Meta Quest 3 and 3S and Pico virtual- and mixed-reality devices - with all the bells and whistles of NVIDIA technologies, including ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS. In addition, NVIDIA is launching the first GeForce RTX-powered data center in India, making gaming more accessible around the world. Plus, GeForce NOW's extensive library of over 2,100 supported titles is expanding with highly anticipated AAA titles. DOOM: The Dark Ages and Avowed will join the cloud when they launch on PC this year.