• Content Warning was released on April 1 and was free for everyone for the first 24 hours, attracting 6.6 million players. Afterward, the game began selling for $8.
• On April 13, Landfall studio announced that Content Warning sales had reached one million copies, less than two weeks after the game's release. It is only available on PC.
• Content Warning is a comedic cooperative horror game where players aim to create videos with artifacts and scary creatures to gain popularity.
• The game's audience has grown partly due to its popularity among famous bloggers.

• The developers of The Outlast Trials recently released a short trailer showcasing journalists' praise for the game. In the trailer description, they mentioned that its audience has surpassed two million people.
• This likely indicates that sales of the cooperative horror game have also reached this milestone. It's worth noting that the game is not available on PS Plus or Game Pass subscription services.
• The developers announced a limited-time event called Toxic Shock, starting on April 16 and running until May 7. This event will feature challenges, rewards, and a side quest to find rats.
• Red Barrels Studios previously announced that the game's first season with additional content will launch in the summer. Additionally, a major update for the horror game is planned, bringing a new mode, enemies, and more.
• The full release of The Outlast Trials occurred on March 5 after being in Early Access for ten months. The game has received a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic from critics and 93% positive reviews on Steam from players.

• An employee from the Japanese indie studio Denneko Yuugi addressed common questions about their upcoming action game, Machina of the Planet Tree Mugen Ouroukaku. One question focused on bloggers and influencers asking for free activation keys in exchange for promoting the game on their social networks.
• The developer's response was succinct: "Buy the game, scumbags." They explained that many developers face similar requests on Steam and believe it's a widespread issue.
• In another tweet, the developer highlighted that scammers often request game activation keys on Steam to resell them on third-party sites. They mentioned that not all developers are aware of this scheme.
• The straightforward response from the Japanese developer resonated with users on the social network X, leading the tweet to go viral with over 750 thousand views in less than a day. Some media and other indie developers also took notice, with some supporting the developer's stance on "beggars" on Steam.
• Machina of the Planet Tree Mugen Ouroukaku is a 3D action game where players control a catgirl. It's scheduled to release on Steam Early Access by the end of 2024.

• A few years back, CD Projekt confirmed they were open to adding multiplayer to their future games. Now, CEO Michal Nowakowski has made it clear that adding an online component won't compromise the single-player experience.
• Developers aim for any potential online features to enhance their design philosophy, not alter it. Nowakowski assured that CD Projekt will continue crafting story-driven, open-world RPGs, and integrating multiplayer won't detract from the single-player campaign.

"For years we've been saying that we do want to continue what we've been doing so far. So that means making big RPG games. Story-rich, story-driven, open worlds. We may at some point have some multiplayer components, but again, it's not about slicing the single-player components even thinner just for the sake of adding multiplayer. That's definitely not going to happen," he says. "If we're going to add something, we're truly going to add something as an extra," stated Michał Nowakowski, CD Projekt's COO.

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• Nowakowski also believes CDPR doesn't need to follow trends, as their game approach has already proven successful. He believes there's still a market for large-scale story-driven RPGs.
• CDPR's upcoming project is the Polaris trilogy, a new chapter in "The Witcher" series. The team, currently around 400 strong, will transition to full production by the end of 2024.

• The Verge covered the shutdown of Discord servers for Suyu and Sudachi, both emulators of the Nintendo Switch console. Discord also removed accounts of several developers linked to the emulators' development.
• Discord didn't reveal specific reasons for shutting down the Nintendo Switch emulator servers. Service representatives cited copyright infringement and multiple DMCA complaints.
• Sudachi developer Jarrod Norvell mentioned that his Discord account was unexpectedly blocked. Discord sent him a letter about violating the user agreement without providing further details.

• The Stellar Blade demo attracted approximately 690 thousand players, while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's demo had 380 thousand players, according to experts at the analytical company Ampere Analysis.
• Experts predict that Stellar Blade could have up to four million daily players after its release, surpassing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's 2.2 million players.
• South Korean studio Shift Up plans to distribute Stellar Blade keys to journalists on April 11 and 12, two weeks before its release. Reviews of the game are expected to be available on April 24, as announced by journalist Tom Henderson.
• Stellar Blade will launch on PS5 on April 26. The developers have not yet confirmed whether the game will be available on other platforms.

• Studios confirmed at CinemaCon that the film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy's will indeed have a sequel. Representatives from Universal and Blumhouse only provided details regarding the film's release schedule, stating that it is slated for the fall of 2025.
• The horror film "Five Nights with Freddy" amassed approximately $300 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing movie in the history of Blumhouse.
• Despite receiving negative reviews from critics and being simultaneously released on the online cinema Peacock, the movie managed to achieve such impressive box office earnings.

• The authors of Kenshi revealed the current sales of their game in a press release issued in honor of its release on the Epic Games Store.
• As of April 2024, the sandbox has been purchased more than 2.3 million times. That's more than five years after it was released on PC in Early Access.
• The developers also reported that during the day Kenshi attracts an average of 39 thousand people. In addition, 10% of the audience has spent at least 500 hours playing the game.
• Currently, the studio Lo-Fi Games continues to work on the sequel of the "sandbox", but it does not yet have even an approximate release date. Earlier, the team published a screenshot of the sequel.
• Kenshi is available on Steam and EGS. The GOG version sells for $14.49.

• The Rogue Prince of Persia was the latest announcement at The Triple-i Initiative show, which took place on the evening of April 10.
• Tom Henderson's information was confirmed - the roguelike from Ubisoft and Dead Cells creators from Evil Empire studio will be released in Steam Early Access on May 14.
• During the event, the authors of the game showed an animated trailer with gameplay footage, as well as opened a page in the Valve store.
• The main character of The Rogue Prince of Persia will be the heir to the throne, going on a journey to fight the army of Huns, fallen under the influence of dark magic shamans. According to the developers, the narrative will be non-linear.
• Evil Empire Studios said that while advancing in the story Prince will be able to learn unique acrobatic tricks, open access to new weapons and accessories, as well as change the style of combat. Locations will be procedurally generated - during their exploration protagonist will get acquainted with various NPCs.

• In an interview with the IGN portal, Matthew Karch, the head of Saber Interactive, discussed the impending disappearance of $70 games from the market. This trend arises from developers' efforts to reduce costs and risks associated with game development, though they assure that quality will not be compromised.

"I think as games become more expensive to make, the $70 title is going to go the way of the dodo [bird]. I do. I just don't think it's sustainable… Look, you remember the hype for Cyberpunk, which I think actually ultimately performed okay, but when the expectations are so high and so much money is put into one title, it's hugely risky for the company that's doing it. What if it fails? You remember what happened when Ubisoft a couple of years ago, all their titles slipped out of the year, and then all of a sudden they were in an entirely different place? It's hard to recover from that. I think the market is going to shift to development which is not necessarily lower quality, but there's going to be an emphasis on trying to find ways to reduce costs," said Karch.

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• Saber Interactive is already following this path by creating AAA games without inflating budgets excessively. Karch cited Helldivers 2 as an example, which successfully attracted an audience as an AA-project. This success will guide the company's future focus.
• Regarding the release of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Karch stated to IGN that it will initially be priced at $70. While the developers wish to offer the game at a lower price, they are hesitant due to potential negative reactions from the audience, who might perceive it as indicative of lower quality.