Video Game News Roundup – March 17, 2025
Welcome to our daily roundup of the latest video game news! Today’s highlights include:
- Valorant’s developers acknowledge the excessive on-screen clutter: ‘The balance team generally concurs with this viewpoint’
- The KOTOR remake resurfaces in its annual tradition of reminding you of its existence, however, no additional information will be available until its return next year
- Integration of your Discord friends list directly into the games you play could be on the horizon
Now, let’s delve into the finer details of today’s gaming news.
Valorant Developers Acknowledge Screen Clutter Concerns: ‘The Balance Team Generally Agrees’
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
Valorant, Riot’s popular game, is known for its constant evolution. With a relentless stream of updates since its inception, the game has introduced new characters, skills, and maps, along with a myriad of cosmetic enhancements. However, for those not frequently engaged with the game, keeping up with these changes can be quite overwhelming. Lately, a particular criticism has gained momentum among players – the excessive visual clutter caused by numerous in-game utilities. Even for those deeply involved in the game, understanding the latest characters and their abilities amid this clutter can be challenging. To put it simply, Valorant started as a Counter-Strike variant with added superpowers, where each character’s gameplay was shaped by their distinctive abilities.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Annual Update: KOTOR Remake Still in Progress
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
Back in September 2021, during a PlayStation Showcase event, Aspyr Media announced their ambitious project of remaking the iconic Star Wars RPG, Knights of the Old Republic, originally created by BioWare in 2003. However, the journey of this remake has been anything but smooth. It has faced a series of significant setbacks and delays since its announcement, which have led to a lot of speculation and unanswered questions.
Initially, the project was “delayed indefinitely” in 2022, followed by Sony’s mysterious removal of all references to the game from its social media platforms. Adding to the intrigue, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors declined to discuss the project at a conference, similar to the avoidance of a taboo topic. Despite these challenges, the game showed faint signs of progress a year ago, even though it was confirmed to be delayed for at least another year.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Discord Friends List Integration Coming to Your Favorite Games Soon
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
Theorycraft Games’ title Supervive offers a glimpse into the upcoming Discord Social SDK. Discord, a staple in the taskbars of many gamers, is set to further expand its reach. Even those who have not embraced this popular chat app may find its features incorporated into their gaming experience. Discord is unveiling the Discord Social SDK, a free tool for game developers to offer friends lists, voice and text chat, and other social features in their games. This enhancement doesn’t require players to have Discord accounts. However, those who link their Discord accounts can gain access to additional benefits. These include the ability to invite Discord friends directly to a game lobby and the convenience of continuing in-game chats using the Discord client.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Meet the Palm-Sized PC with Removable Memory, Flip-Up Screen, and a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Processor
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
In an era of flashy, powerful hardware, it can be easy to overlook how significantly technology in the PC space has shifted towards miniaturization. We’ve transitioned from rooms filled with processors to handheld portables and mini ITX wonders. This trend towards miniaturization serves as a testament to technological advancement. An exciting example of this trend is the new compact unit from Aoostar, aptly named the G-Flip 370. Powered by a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, this mini PC is a marvel of condensed computing power. Aoostar’s G-Flip 370 was recently showcased in an announcement spotted by Videocardz, marking its place as the latest addition to the company’s lineup of mini PCs.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Parkour Athletes Judge the Realism of Assassin’s Creed’s Acrobatics: A Surprising Verdict
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
Two renowned parkour athletes, Toby Segar and Benj Cave of team Storror in the UK, evaluate the realism of the acrobatics in Assassin’s Creed. Many players, myself included, were introduced to parkour through these games—a notion that might grate on these professionals.
Toby and Benj critique the series’ representation of the sport. Though they are fans of the franchise, they did not shy away from scrutinizing its accuracy. I was intrigued to discover that the games’ infamous hay bale-cushioned leaps of faith could indeed be plausible in real life. According to Toby, a perfect execution could potentially allow a leap from up to eight stories high. However, the iconic sky-high jumps featured in Assassin’s Creed would more likely result in “a perfect assassin’s outline in the floor underneath the actual cart.”
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Deconstructeam Unveils New Game: Training to Shoot a Single Fireball at an Impossible Target
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
Many Nights A Whisper – Reveal Trailer – Watch on YouTube
Deconstructeam, the indie game studio famous for titles like The Red Strings Club, Gods Will Be Watching, and The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, has announced their next project. In collaboration with the Spanish indie studio, Selkie Harbor, they present ‘Many Nights a Whisper’. In this game, players assume the role of the Dreamer, a chosen individual tasked with performing a community wish-granting ritual. This ritual involves the challenging task of using a sacred slingshot to launch a fireball into a chalice, described as being at an “impossibly distant” location. ‘Many Nights a Whisper’ is designed to be a short, engrossing experience that players can complete in a single sitting, with the primary focus being the tense buildup to the ritual event.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Ashly Burch, Horizon Game’s Voice Actress, Expresses Concern Over Sony’s AI Aloy Video Impact on Artistic Game Performance
Source: IGN – March 17, 2025
Ashly Burch, the voice behind the Horizon series character Aloy, has expressed her concerns regarding a leaked Sony AI Aloy video. She uses this incident to bring light to the challenges faced by voice actors on strike. The Verge recently covered the release of an internal Sony video demonstrating the utilization of Aloy’s character to showcase AI-driven characters. Sony has yet to comment on IGN’s request regarding this issue. The video, which has since been removed, features a conversation between Sharwin Raghoebardajal, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Director of Software Engineering, and an AI-based Aloy. They communicate through voice prompts, AI-rendered speech, and facial animations. The dialogue initiates as Raghoebardajal asks Aloy about her condition, to which she replies: “Hello, I’m managing alright.”
Read the full IGN article here →
Wyrdsong, the RPG from Ex-Bethesda Talent, Lives On Despite Scaling Back to Non-Open World Format
Source: PC Gamer – March 16, 2025
Three years ago, during the Gamescom Opening Night Live, Wyrdsong was announced as an exciting new open-world RPG. Developed by veterans from acclaimed games such as Skyrim, Fallout, and The Outer Worlds, Wyrdsong was set to transport players to a twisted rendition of medieval Portugal. The game was slated to delve into the mythological beginnings of the Knights Templar and offered players the opportunity to customize their characters and journey across a 12th-century landscape filled with castles, coastlines, and mountains. Unfortunately, the game’s developer, Something Wicked Games, unlike the Templars, lacks deep financial reserves. The studio had earlier secured a $13.2 million seed investment from NetEase in 2022.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
Spotlight on Five New Steam Games You May Have Overlooked (March 17, 2025)
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
On any given day, approximately a dozen new games are released on Steam. While this abundance of new content is exciting, it can also be overwhelming. There’s a good chance that some potentially exciting games might get overlooked unless you sift through every new release on Steam. That’s exactly what we’ve done for you. If you’re not interested in this week’s new releases, remember that we also have a curated list of the best PC games available now, as well as a continually updated list of 2025’s upcoming releases.
One game that caught our attention this week is Midnight Murder Club.
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Developer: Velan Studios
This multiplayer FPS, published by PlayStation, had a surprisingly quiet release last week. This is somewhat unusual for a Sony game.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
REPO’s First Update Introduces New Map and ‘Duck Bucket’
Source: PC Gamer – March 16, 2025
The highly anticipated first update of REPO is on the horizon, bringing with it some much-needed features, including a clever solution to the infamous duck dilemma. Last Friday, the REPO developers provided a sneak peek at the forthcoming enhancements since its early access release in February. While the official release date for the update remains undisclosed, they’ve revealed that we can expect a new map, improved facial expressions, quality of life updates, and the much-anticipated duck bucket. More details can be found in the YouTube preview video.
For those of us who’ve been repeatedly bested by the game’s seemingly adorable but lethal duck, this update can’t come soon enough.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
MechWarrior 5: Clans Prepares to Release DLC Featuring Playable Elementals and Spacecraft Battles
Source: PC Gamer – March 17, 2025
Despite a rocky start to the year for MechWarrior 5: Clans, which included publisher Enad Global 7 stating performance ‘below expectations’ and the layoff of 38 employees from its developer Piranha Games, the game continues to receive support. An upcoming expansion, Ghost Bear: Flash Storm, has been announced and is set to launch next month.
Ghost Bear: Flash Storm will extend the narrative campaign of MechWarrior 5: Clans. Players can look forward to 12 new missions, leading the Silveroot Keshik command unit. The expansion will also introduce four new OmniMechs and BattleMechs each, enhancing the gaming experience. Additionally, players will gain command of an Elemental point led by Star Commander Rook.
Read the full article at PC Gamer →
PlayStation Logo Appearance on Unfinished Starfield Content Fuels PS5 Release Rumors
Source: IGN – March 17, 2025
Over the weekend, rumors regarding Starfield’s potential release on PlayStation 5 gained traction. This was spurred by fans noticing a PlayStation logo on Bethesda’s official Creations website, specifically on an unfinished ship decal design for Starfield. Despite the subsequent removal of the creation, this has led to speculation that Bethesda’s hitherto PC and Xbox exclusive sci-fi game might soon be available for PS5. This has inevitably sparked discussions about whether Bethesda is planning a substantial content update, or perhaps even a new expansion, to coincide with Starfield’s presumed PS5 launch. It’s worth noting that there has been little buzz around Starfield lately, particularly following the underwhelming reception of the Shattered Space expansion.
Read the full article on IGN →
The RTX 5080: An Impressive GPU That’s Likely Out of Reach
Source: Polygon – March 17, 2025
Reviewing an Nvidia graphics card these days has its peculiarities. Nvidia sent me a GeForce RTX 5080 for review six weeks ago, and I’ve spent that time putting it through its paces in numerous games and assessing various GPU benchmark comparison videos. However, Nvidia’s primary competitor, AMD, which has traditionally been the underdog, released its new line of cards during this period. The Radeon RX 9070 XT is particularly noteworthy as it delivers performance comparable to the RTX 5080, but at a significantly lower price point. The 9070 XT is retailing for $599, while the RTX 5080 is priced at $999. I had hoped that by the time of this review, consumers would be able to purchase either GPU.
For the full article, visit Polygon →
Final Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition Now at an All-Time Low Price on Amazon
Source: IGN – March 17, 2025
The Final Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition has hit a record low price, now available on Amazon for just $49.99. This is the best deal we’ve seen yet, even surpassing Black Friday deals according to our records and corroborated by price-tracking site CamelCamelCamel. The collection, initially released on October 8, is compatible with both Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, and is fully functional on PS5. It brings together the first six mainline Final Fantasy games, which have been meticulously remastered. Square Enix has chosen to refine rather than revamp, preserving the original pixelated aesthetic but enhancing it for contemporary displays. The outcome is a superbly presented collection, whether you’re playing on a large screen TV or in handheld mode.
Read the full article at IGN →
Join the Discussion
What gaming news stood out for you today? We’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below! Let’s start a conversation.
