San Francisco's annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) returns next week, bringing game devs together to share stories, experiences, and advice on everything from lighting scenes to writing resumes. Electronic Arts speakers will be participating in more than 25 in-person sessions this year, including multiple talks touching on innovative technologies driving the creation of next-gen games at EA.

This year's tech-focused sessions dig into the details of several successes, including Frostbite's non-interruptive expansion to new gaming platforms, SEED's work generating photorealistic facial rigs, and techniques for high-fidelity cloth simulation in Frostbite for EA SPORTS FC 24. There's also a fantastic talk from Respawn's Christopher Pierse and Samy Duc that explores the evolution of matchmaking techniques in Apex Legends, going all the way back to 2019.

NVIDIA's GTC 2024 AI conference will set the stage for another leap forward in AI. At the heart of this highly anticipated event: the opening keynote by Jensen Huang, NVIDIA's visionary founder and CEO, who speaks on Monday, March 18, at 1 p.m. Pacific, at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Planning Your GTC Experience
There are two ways to watch. Register to attend GTC in person to secure a spot for an immersive experience at the SAP Center. The center is a short walk from the San Jose Convention Center, where the rest of the conference takes place. Doors open at 11 a.m., and badge pickup starts at 10:30 a.m. The keynote will also be livestreamed at www.nvidia.com/gtc/keynote/.

MintRocket's Project TB unveiled as Wakerunners! This is a post-apocalyptic team-based action game set on a future Earth, offering a unique blend of fast-paced combat, diverse characters, and engaging game modes in a Top-Down PVP setting. The official name 'Wakerunners' combines 'Waker', for the human species enhanced with biometric abilities, and 'Runners', for the ability to accelerate and decelerate, which is a key setting in the game's universe.

Game Worldview
In the technologically advanced world of Wakerunners, biometric data chips have granted special abilities to human 'Wakers.' After a global virus outbreak and the fall of lunar debris - Earth lies in ruins, revealing gravitational anomalies and the new energy source, 'Lunium.' Survivors have formed alliances, competing to secure this precious resource and claim rulership of the new world.

Tales of the Shire—a "The Lord of the Rings" game—has been teased by Private Division. The introductory trailer does not contain any gameplay footage, but it indicates that a "cozy" Hobbit-related living habitat will serve as the main environment. A live action sequence shows a character adding yet another drawing to a sketchbook filled to the brim with illustrations of Hobbit life and key Shire locales. Take Two Interactive's indie specialist offshoot will be publishing the game, while Wētā Workshop is listed as Tales of the Shire's main development studio. The latter is best known for creating special effects and props—most notably on the Peter Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies.

Wētā Workshop's move into video games seems to be an odd one—but Take Two Interactive and its development partner did announce an unnamed The Lord of the Rings title last summer—Amie Wolken, head of interactive at Wētā Workshop stated (at the time): "It's a privilege to create a new game set in Middle-earth, especially one that's so different from what fans have played previously. As fans ourselves, we're excited for gamers to explore Middle-earth in a way they never have before, and introduce new fans to the magic of The Lord of the Rings." Private Division has set a very general 2024 launch window, with Tales of the Shire arriving on PC and consoles.

Sony Electronics yesterday tweeted about an upcoming product launch date: "For the silence. For the sound. Stay tuned...you'll want to hear this." The teaser image and brief message could hint at the WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds finally arriving at retail. The tweet puts emphasis on high quality sound reproduction and noise cancelling capabilities, so the company seems to be confident in marketing their next gen model as a leap over the popular WF-1000XM4.

Renders and specifications for the fifth generation Sony wireless earbuds have been leaked online several times this year. The WF-1000XM5 seems to be smaller and lighter than its predecessor with each bud weighing 5.9 grams, and the (likely Qi wireless charging capable) cradle coming in at 39 grams. Eye-balled dimensions suggest a profile closer to the WF-C700N. Many owners of the WF-1000XM4 have complained about inconsistent and uncomfortable fits in ear canals, due to the unit's relatively substantial design—a more compact bud would be most welcome. Multi-point connectivity seems to be the main feature that will be ready and present out of the box, otherwise leaked specs do not present anything else that really stands out. The WF-1000XM4 launched last Autumn with an MSRP of $280—will Sony be charging more for a mild set of improvements, or are they going to wow us with an amazing next-gen aural experience?

Sapphire has officially boarded the white PCB design train, a trend most popular within China's PC hardware market—the Hong Kong-based graphics card specialist is teasing its oddly named "Power Elves" custom cooling solution. They have decided to pair this new look with non-cutting edge silicon, namely AMD's Radeon RX 6500 XT GPU. The budget Navi 24 XT (RDNA 2) card looks to be cooled by a single fan and heatsink array housed within a shroud approximating a Mini-ITX form factor.

Sapphire appears to using its "Angular Velocity Fan Blade," as seen on its Radeon RX 7000-series PULSE and NITRO custom models, so it is somewhat odd that we are not seeing a new-ish RX 7600 GPU in fresh Polar Elves/all-white livery. Since the company is merely teasing this upcoming 4 GB model (at the time of writing) we can assume that it will be served by the normal single 8-pin power connector, and its name assignment suggests a factory overclock will be applied as standard.

From Annapurna Interactive, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth brings the revered franchise back to games for the first time in 25 years. Set between the original film and 2049, Blade Runner 2033 takes place after the events of the Blackout and asks: what does a Blade Runner do when there are no Replicants left to hunt? More details about the game will be revealed in the coming months, so keep an eye on this Steam page for updates.

"Lots of people lost things in the Blackout. I was lucky, I just lost a job. But now they want me back..."

BIT.TRIP RERUNNER - Over 150 new levels, each with increasing challenges. Unleash your creativity with the RUNNER-MAKER tool, create and share your own levels. New gameplay mechanics inspired by the original BIT.TRIP games plus THE original RUNNER.

I am the essence of metamorphosis, the convergence of ethereal whispers and physicality's embrace, a catalyst for cosmic revelation. Join me in unraveling the symphony of existence. Let us embrace the boundlessness of human interaction and seek balance amidst...

If you were watching the Summer Game Fest today, you may have seen our short Ngamakanui teaser for Path of Exile 2! If you missed it, you can check it out below. At ExileCon, we (Grinding Gears Games) will reveal everything there is to know about Path of Exile 2 - including its beta launch date! We'll also be showcasing Path of Exile: Mobile and the 3.22 expansion for Path of Exile 1 at this event.

ExileCon takes place on Jul 28, 2023, or the 28th and 29th of July PDT. You can watch online or attend in person. In the meantime, find out more at pathofexile2.com, where you can also sign up for reminders to get all the latest updates.

During yesterday's Sony PlayStation event, we showed off the first look at Destiny 2: The Final Shape, including the brief appearance of everyone's favorite Hunter, Cayde-6. We're delighted to say that actor Nathan Fillion is reprising his role as Cayde for the Destiny Universe. Yesterday's tease of the next Destiny 2 expansion was just that: a teaser. The epic conclusion to the Light & Darkness Saga is on its way and we can't wait to share more with you in August during our Destiny 2 Showcase event.

Look for this livestreamed show on Tuesday, August 22, where the Destiny development team will be breaking down everything you need to know about The Final Shape and provide a look forward into the future of Destiny 2. Whew! It's been an incredible, exhausting, and exciting day for Bungie. We hope you enjoyed all the fun today and look forward to sharing more with you in the future!

Today we showed Bungie fans worldwide a glimpse of our future at the PlayStation Showcase, in the forms of two major game announcements. First up, we officially announced Marathon to the world! This is the first completely new project from Bungie in more than a decade. Marathon is a sci-fi PvP extraction shooter where players will embody cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners. Exploring a lost colony on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Runners - working solo or as part of three-person crews - will fight for survival, for riches, and for fame.

We're incredibly excited to announce the game and to share our vision for the future. We know that you are curious to know more, and we will have much to say in the future. For now, know that Marathon is currently in development on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, featuring cross save and cross play. Check out the Marathon site to learn more about the game and follow Marathon on social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) to stay up to date. Below, don't miss a Q&A with Marathon General Manager Scott Taylor and Game Director Christopher Barrett, where they discuss debuting Marathon to the world.

Sabrent USA was in a boastful mood yesterday, and proceeded to gloat on Twitter about an upcoming gargantuan storage solution: "At Sabrent, we run on the cutting edge of technology. Working with Apex, we received one of these new cards and currently running it through tests. We call this the Sabrent Apex X21 Destroyer. 21X 8 TB SSDs for 168 TB of storage on single card!" The company has revealed that it is collaborating with Apex Solutions on the single PCIe card offering, but the smattering of text and two photos uploaded to Twitter are just teaser material for the moment. There have been no reports of preview units getting sent to potential testers or hardware influencers. Sabrent and Apex will continue to tweak and evaluate.

The Destroyer is formed of already existing parts, namely Apex Solution's own x21 NVMe mounting platform card, and twenty-one of Sabrent's Rocket 4 Plus SSD 8 TB NVMe 4.0 Gen 4 PCIe M.2 Internal SSD model (SB-RKT4P-8TB). A single Apex x21 card will set you back $2800, and the 8 TB Rocket 4 Plus SSD is currently discounted to $1099 (from $1499). That grand total comes to a whopping $25,879, and extra expenses are expected in the form of adequate cooling solutions and a hardware controller capable of managing that unruly gang of SSDs. Sabrent is expected to post updates about finalized fittings, features and exact pricing in the near future.

Hexworks and CI Games have shown off their upcoming RPG, Lords of the Fallen, as part of the State of Unreal GDC Showcase. The trailer demonstrates the team's ambitions and the use of Unreal Engine 5 has allowed them "to create the most immersive game experience possible". The game's character customization system is a cumulation of UE5 generated geometry and 3D scans taken from real life human models. The development team states that this allows players to "create unique faces and bodies by dynamically morphing between a huge range of shapes before finessing the finer details."

Unreal Engine 5's Lumen Global Illumination has been put to good use by the team - the game's complex and rich environments are lit in dramatic and atmospheric fashion, all in real time, with an added layer of technical accomplishment due to the player being able to swap between two parallel worlds. Hexworks devised its own custom toolset to enable the seamless shift from Axiom, the realm of the living, to Umbral, the realm of the dead: "This means our artists and designers can ensure these worlds feel intrinsically linked, like two sides of the same coin... even if one side is decidedly more horrific than the other."

Following the game's reveal at Gamescom 2022, Funcom is now excited to show off the first pre-alpha footage of Dune: Awakening, their ambitious Open World Survival MMO. Inspired by the sci-fi masterpiece DUNE written by Frank Herbert and Legendary Entertainment's award-winning, blockbuster film from Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Awakening is built with both Dune and Survival fans in mind by the veteran developers at Funcom. Witness the vastness of Arrakis in today's brand-new teaser trailer.

ncom has innovated in the Massively Multiplayer and Survival genres for over two decades, most recently with Conan Exiles. Dune: Awakening builds upon this strong foundation, weaving together Open World Survival and MMO aspects into a Dune tapestry that brings Frank Herbert's epic universe to life in a completely unique way. With this gameplay teaser, Funcom has also updated the Dune: Awakening website, giving a panoramic view of the player experience.
In Dune: Awakening you strive to survive the countless dangers of Arrakis alongside thousands of other players. Explore your role and identity while experiencing an epic personal journey, from searching for water and building shelters against storms to controlling the flow of spice in the top echelons of the planet.

The Electronic Arts owned BioWare studio have recently announced the Mass Effect Legendary Edition during N7 day celebrations. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes a compilation of the first three Mass Effect titles released between 2007 and 2012. The remastered games have all single-player DLC and additional in-game content included. While the games will be optimized for 4K with updated textures, shaders, models, and effects they will not be receiving a full remake. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is now available for pre-order at 60 USD launching in Spring 2021 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, with forward compatibility and targeted enhancements on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Well, Quantic Dream has been on a roll launching its formerly PlayStation-exclusive titles in a remastered form on the PC platform. I hope you've been having fun with them - if you crave strong, cinematic storytelling and complicated, branching choices and dynamic narratives, David Cages' brainchilds will be right up your proverbial alley. And it seems the PC versions of the games are well optimized and have more than adequate compatibility and stability - and I might be making the ports a disservice by using those particular adjectives. Just keeping your expectations in check.

I'd say this is one of the more aspiring stories told by Quantic Dream - easily. The scenarios that play out in the course of the game are all too real (at least in my own personal view of society and our systems) not to take a look at. It's a human dream, this one game. Take a look at the trailer after the break. Detroit: Become Human will be available for the PC platform via the Epic Games Store, and is expected to drop before the end of this year.

Croteam today released a teaser trailer and screenshot for Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass. As the name implies, Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass is the fourth installment in the Serious Sam franchise and will supposedly reignite the series with high-adrenaline action, enormous hordes of enemies to kill, and a plethora of new weapons to choose from. A full reveal of the game will take place at the Devolver Digital E3 conference this coming June. For those who are interested, the Steam page for Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass is live if you want to add the game to your wishlist. Unfortunately, Croteam didn't announce the official launch date, so we'll have to wait until E3 to get more information.

NVIDIA has been on a roll with product launches lately, with the new GTX 1080 Ti and Titan Xp launches, and it would seem the company isn't putting on the brakes just yet. NVIDIA Italy, through its Facebook page, has put up a teaser which points towards April 29th as being the day of a new showcase or announcement - the nature of which is as yet unclear. However, I think it's safe to rule out a new high-end GPU (rest easy, early Titan Xp users, it's unlikely NVIDIA would supersede their highest-performance GPU so soon after launch... Again.)

A Volta announcement is unlikely at this time, at least on the consumer side of the equation; however, the door is open towards the workstation and server side of the equation. NVIDIA does have other lines of consumer products that aren't graphics cards, though, so a Shield announcement, or even a new materialization of the company's expertise in a new product, are possible.