Alan Wake 2 Developers Continue Supporting Multiplayer Game Despite Just 38 Active Players on Steam

What happens when a game refuses to fade away? Why did Hotel Barcelona incorporate generative AI in the first place? And MindsEye is hinting at a comeback any day now. Welcome to the latest edition of Morning Checkpoint, your daily dose of gaming news, rumors, and culture. I stayed up way too late diving back into Marathon and got a bit too ambitious on my last run. My random squad was looting and ready to exfiltrate in record time after taking down an enemy team, but I decided to jump out of the safe zone for one last loot run. Spoiler: it didn’t end well.

Remedy Entertainment’s multiplayer spin-off of the Control series isn’t shutting down just yet, but it is set to receive its final content update. This last patch will introduce new arenas, balance adjustments, and a friend pass that allows three players to team up as long as one of them owns the game.

“Open House will be the last major update for FBC: Firebreak,” the developers announced. “We won’t be adding new playable content after this update. FBC: Firebreak will remain online and playable for years to come. We’ve made engineering improvements to ensure we can maintain the relay servers even when player numbers drop.”

It’s great to see this commitment, even if the player base is currently quite small. Here’s hoping for a solution that allows players to keep the game alive in some form, even if the servers eventually go offline. The $40 shooter is also getting a 50% price reduction.

Reports about IO Interactive parting ways with Build a Rocket Boy have been confirmed. The studio announced the split in a recent statement and clarified that the previously promised Hitman DLC will not be released for the 2025 title.

“However, BARB plans to collaborate with partners on other projects in the future,” IO Interactive stated. “Both IOI Partners and Build A Rocket Boy appreciate the excitement this collaboration generated within the community and thank players for their support.”

This project was in development by the creator of John Wick. “It’s a bit of a dagger in the chest,” Derek Kolstad shared at SXSW this month. “Who knows nowadays, but it’s dead in the water. But, man, I love that thing, because I love that game and I love that character.”

In short, two main factors contributed: the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of working solo from home, which made audio recording impossible.

“We have already removed all generative AI from Hotel Barcelona, and this work no longer uses generative AI in any capacity,” announced Hidetaka “Swery/Swery65” Suehiro. “If you’ve been hesitant to play due to rumors about AI still being involved, please take note of this update.”

The hack-and-slash roguelike launched last fall to mixed reviews. A recently released Under New Management update introduced numerous accessibility options, quality-of-life enhancements, and balance adjustments.

Sony’s streaming handheld is set to receive a new 1080p High Quality mode on March 18. This feature will allow players to stream games at a higher bitrate for improved video quality. While the resolution remains at 1080p, the image quality should appear less compressed, provided users have the bandwidth to support it.

The latest crossover event in the battle royale teases a Chapter 7 season 2 showdown. New battle pass rewards have also been unveiled as players threaten a boycott over rising V-Bucks prices.

Anti-cheat measures were mistakenly banning players using accessibility peripherals, prompting an apology from Embark. “We are working hard to resolve this issue as quickly as possible,” the studio posted on X. “Our support team is reviewing all appeals, so please continue to reach out if this has affected you.”

Krafton has partnered with Hanwha Aerospace to “develop and commercialize technology” that includes “physical AI” for military uses, essentially killer robots. The publisher, which also owns Hi-Fi Rush, announced its focus on AI last year with a $70 million investment in hardware for autonomous workflows. Recently, the company’s CEO lost a significant lawsuit after following advice from ChatGPT.