Fortnite to add even more AI NPCs following Darth Vader incident
"I find the lack of humanity in your AI chatbot disturbing"
Multiplayer articles
Most online games are now dead, Stop Killing Games proponents say
Planned obsolescence is becoming a successful business model for publishers
Russian authorities threaten World of Tanks developer for its alleged "extremist activities"
Wargaming studio said there are no assets to seize
Bungie unveils Marathon, its new extraction shooter launching September 23
Closed alpha runs from April 23 to May 4
Former PlayStation CEO says he left Sony partially because of shift to live-service models
That kind of gaming is "not in my wheelhouse"
Rainbow Six Siege X brings major changes, new Dual Front mode, and a free tier
A new 6v6 three-lane mode with infinite respawns
PUBG: Blindspot is a 5v5 tactical shooter that resembles a top-down Rainbow Six Siege
Free demo launches February 20 ahead of Steam Next Fest
Activision keeps frighteningly granular data on your Call of Duty gameplay - here's how to see it
A stats goldmine exposing crazy match details
Remedy unveils first look at FBC: Firebreak, a multiplayer shooter set in the Control universe
Remedy also showed off The Lake House expansion for Alan Wake 2
Discord creator says Final Fantasy XI inspired him to develop the popular chat service
In brief: Since Discord's 2015 debut, the chat service has grown to serve various communities for work, hobbies, and other purposes. Still, its developers primarily focus on gaming functionality, and the app's origins as a tool to facilitate in-game voice chat are widely known. Discord's co-founder provided more details on that history at the recent Tokyo Game Show.
Call of Duty's new chat moderation AI sees major success: 43% drop in toxicity
The moderation system will expand to more languages when Black Ops 6 comes out
Massive generational gap: Gen Z flocks to multiplayer, while 55+ sticks to single-player
A stark divide in multiplayer vs single-player preferences by age
Editor's take: Publishers and developers will need to keep a close eye on these generational preferences. The younger set is gravitating toward live-service PVP games, but today's overall gaming landscape still leaves ample breathing room for richly crafted single-player adventures to resonate. This window could start closing, though, if upcoming generations continue embracing multiplayer experiences en masse.
Sony shuts down Concord: Customers will be refunded, game goes offline September 6
Servers will be switched off on the game's two-week anniversary
Sony hero shooter Concord's free open beta peaked at just 2,388 concurrent players
With lows of almost 500 players
Fan-made project aims to keep Wii U and 3DS consoles online where Nintendon't
Something to look forward to: Nintendo shut down its free online network, Nintendo Network, on April 9, permanently disconnecting Wii U and 3DS consoles from online services. While the company's latest console, the Nintendo Switch, relies on a subscription-based network called "Nintendo Switch Online," there are plans underway to revive the Nintendo Network – unofficially, of course.
Helldivers 2 players liberated a mech factory in record time, causing more server capacity issues
Arrowhead's CEO said players accomplished the mission 4x faster than anticipated
Mechs, recon vehicles, and armored personnel carriers are popping up in some Helldivers 2 matches
Posts featuring the new heavy metal hardware have been popping up across social media
A closer look at Quake II's eight-way local multiplayer split screen mode
You're gonna need a bigger TV
Friday the 13th's last hurrah completely removes the grind with free Legendary perks and no XP
Gun Media will stop selling the popular Dead by Daylight clone at the end of the year
Blizzard is "really confident" Diablo IV can do the impossible by avoiding launch-day server overload
Hope it invested heavily in server capacity for what is arguably its most highly anticipated game ever
50 Years of Video Games, Part 2: The Rise of 3D, the Gaming PC, and Online Multiplayer
From the mid-90s to the early years of the millennium, video games underwent a paradigm shift in graphics, treating us to some of the most classic titles of all time.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is free to play for the next seven days
CoD: MW II's free multiplayer trial starts now
Escape from Tarkov devs use public shaming to combat recent waves of cheaters
Developers want to show honest players which annoying cheaters have been "punished"
What Ever Happened to GameSpy?
#TBT Today, multiplayer gaming is easy. But in the 90s, it was cumbersome and not exactly user friendly until an app called GameSpy hit the scene which made browsing for servers and connecting with players a far more intuitive process. It was a game-changer.
