AMD introduced the latest edition of the "Raise the Game" bundle, which goes live in February. The mid-range Radeon RX 5500 XT is bolstered with a windfall of games and services. New purchases of RX 5500 XT graphics cards from participating retailers receive "Resident Evil 3," "Ghost Recon Breakpoint," and "Warcraft 3: Reforged," in addition to 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for PC. Buyers of performance-segment RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT cards purchasing from participating retailers, from February 4 till April 25 (with game redemptions ending on May 25), receive "Resident Evil 3" and "Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition." Buyers of the RX 560, RX 570, RX 580, RX 590, RX Vega series, Radeon VII, RX 5500 XT, and RX 5700 series receive Xbox Game Pass for PC. Curiously, RX 5600 XT is excluded from the game bundle.

It's not Warcraft 4, but this news is still better than nothing to fans of the beloved RTS series. At Blizzcon 2018, Blizzard was met with backlash at the announcement of Diablo for mobile platforms, but news of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos getting a full remaster on the PC is helping fan down some of those flames. Titled Warcraft III: Reforged, the remaster is due to be released some time in 2019.

After announcing their Starcraft remaster to fans (for free, I might add), which will count with remastered graphics, dialogue and audio, whilst keeping the original Starcraft play and feel, it seems that Blizzard is now looking towards remastering two of their other successful franchises. Diablo 2 stands as one of PC gaming's most recognized entries, helping pave the way for mainstream gaming and dice rolls. And Warcraft 3, while a tad less successful than the company's subsequent World of Warcraft phenomenon, still stands as a well-aged RTS entry (I remember seeing the CG cutscenes for the game at my local FNAC store at the time of its release and I was absolutely mesmerized.)

The clues pointing towards the Diablo 2, Warcraft 3 remasters come courtesy of Blizzard themselves, though not in a bells and whistles-covered announcement that one might expect. Instead, these come as job posts on Blizzard's Careers page. namely, Blizzard says "Compelling stories. Intense multiplayer. Endless replayability. Qualities that made StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II the titans of their day. (...) We're restoring them to glory, and we need your engineering talents, your passion, and your ability to get tough jobs done." And: "Classic Games is looking for a renaissance designer to harmonize that which was, with that which will be. Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo await your machinations." It is unclear as of now whether these remasters will be free or not at time of release. Starcraft was, but while history tends to repeat itself, it really sometimes doesn't. So there you have it. What do you think of this renaissance/remastering?