2025-12-31
FACEIT publishes 2025 rankings showing Mirage and Dust 2 dominate match play
FACEIT has released its list of the most-played Counter-Strike 2 maps for 2025. According to the platform, a clear majority of competitive games took place on just a few familiar locations, underscoring players' and organizers' continued preference for classic map pools.
2025-12-30
Dota 2 roster change: AVULUS transfers carry Ilya 'ssnovv1' Kondrashov to inactive, roster update expected before qualifiers
The esports organization AVULUS has announced a change to its Dota 2 roster: carry player Ilya "ssnovv1" Kondrashov has been moved to an inactive status. The club made the decision public via its social media channels, citing recent observations of team practice and official match performance.
2025-12-30
Owlcat Games to release Owlcat Launcher — closed alpha tied to Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy starting January 27, 2026
Owlcat Games, the studio behind Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, which has recently also taken on the role of publisher, announced plans to create its own game launcher called Owlcat Launcher.
2025-12-30
CNews reports a new study by Rostelecom Games and Lesta Games showing nearly half of surveyed Russian adults plan to play video games over the New Year holidays; gamers also differ from non‑gamers in travel and social plans
A recent report in CNews, based on a study conducted by Rostelecom Games and Lesta Games, examined how Russians intend to spend the upcoming New Year holidays. The survey sampled 1,500 respondents aged 18 and over and asked about leisure plans for the holiday period.
2025-12-30
My Winter Car — a winter-set sequel to My Summer Car arrives on Steam Early Access and attracts tens of thousands of players
My Winter Car, the direct sequel to the cult automotive simulator My Summer Car, has appeared on Steam in Early Access. The new title from Amistech Games keeps the core spirit of the original but transplants it into a harsh Finnish winter, increasing the overall difficulty and environmental challenge for players.
2025-12-30
Players accuse Dispatch creators of playing it safe after planned death of major character was scrapped, raising concerns about lowered stakes in season two
Players of the narrative game Dispatch have reacted negatively after the studio revealed it chose not to kill off one of the story's central characters at the end of the first season. The report, first noted by gaming outlet The Gamer, says that developers at AdHoc originally intended for the character Chase to die in episode six, but altered the script and let him survive.
2025-12-30
Hidetaka Miyazaki says FromSoftware did not set out to create a 'Souls-like' genre, but responded to player demand for a distinct experience
Hidetaka Miyazaki says FromSoftware never set out to deliberately invent a new genre called "Souls-like." In an interview, he explained that the studio simply identified and followed a strong player appetite for a particular type of gameplay—one where death functions as a form of learning and meaningful progress—rather than intentionally creating a new category of games.
2025-12-30
After IEM Cologne is named a 2026 Major, ESL moves $250,000 in club reward money to raise IEM China total to $1.25M
ESL has announced a redistribution of club reward funds across its annual events, moving money to IEM China following a change in the status of IEM Cologne. The adjustment affects the pool of club reward money available to teams that attend ESL’s seven yearly tournaments.