What if the company that sold your cheese also sold your PC gaming hardware? This is not the murmuring of some poor sod on a nineteen-hour Dota 2 binge who’s started thinking that the crumbs in his keyboard resemble a viable snack, but a bold new reality, one I recently found myself staring down during a trip to Asda. The supermarket chain – third biggest in the UK by turnover and purveyors of ill-fitting clothes and surprisingly good doughnuts alike – has added light-up gaming mice, keyboards, and headsets to its mountain of own-brand wares.
Asda being what it is (Americans, if you’re unfamiliar, think Walmart with less gun violence), it’s all dirt cheap as well. £17 for a full-size keyboard. £16 for an FPS mouse. Overwhelmed with curiosity, I ended up taking home a complete starter set (keeb, different mouse, headset, and mousemat) for £45, or about a third of the price of the Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL that I’d shortly kick off my desk. Could this be a new frontier in affordable PC hardware, bringing tech to the masses in a way no specialist retailer ever could, or should supermarkets stick to cereal and meal deals? Surely the Asda Tech (real name) 4-in-1 Gaming Kit would have the answers.
Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly looking to sell a stake in its video game business.
As relayed by VGC, sources speaking to Financial Times claim that the media conglomerate is considering offloading smaller assets of its business in an effort to reverse its falling share price since the merger of Warner Media and Discovery in 2022.
PlayStation 5 sales are down compared to this time last year but the console has still reached 61.7 million units sold overall since its launch in 2020.
Sony’s latest financial results revealed a decline year over year from 3.3 million units sold in the first quarter of the 2024 financial year to 2.4 million units sold in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year, meaning from April to June 2024.
The decline was somewhat expected, however, as Sony lowered its overall PS5 sales target for this financial year to 18 million units from the 21 million units it targeted last year. This itself was down from an initial target of 25 million units sold, but Sony ultimately failed to accomplish either as it ended the year on 20.8 million. This was still a PS5 sales record though.
Despite the hardware dip, Sony did reveal its monthly active users, a key performance indicator for assessing how engaged its audience is (and therefore how likely to spend more money on subscriptions, software, and so on it is), was up compared to last year.
Sony registered 116 million monthly active users in this period, down from the fourth quarter of last financial year (118 million) but up compared to a year ago, when it sat at 108 million.
Many will point to the lack of PS5 exclusives as a potential reason for hardware sales declining, and Sony has already indicated no new games from its major franchises will be released this financial year. That means no Spider-Man, God of War, The Last of Us, Ratchet and Clank, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, or whatever else.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Hmmm… it could be nothing, but the technomancers at Nvidia have just updated their graphics drivers, and among the list of game profiles now listed in their control panel tool is Final Fantasy XVI. The blockbuster JRPG isn’t out on PC yet, and developers Square Enix have not given a concrete release date for it, but this does seem to be prep work for the inevitable. And with Squeenix in attendance at Gamescom, it’s possible we’ll know more soon.
Back in June, strategy bods Creative Assembly put out a chunky, chatty video discussing the next expansion for Total War: Warhammer 3. Aside from a not-so-subtle hint that the orcs, ogres, and Khorne pack would feature at least one colossal squig, it also ended with a tease at smaller bits of new content coming alongside regular patches. As of the game’s latest hotfix blog, we’ve now got a better idea when we’ll start seeing some of these “smaller bits and pieces.” Bits and pieces? In this economy? Yes, and this month in fact. “Late August” to be precise by quoting a vague statement precisely.
In addition to the ‘Unholy Alliance‘ local co-op update for Cult of the Lamb, the developer Massive Monster has now announced the ‘Pilgrim Pack‘. This is new paid DLC arriving on the same date as the free update (12th August 2024).
Earlier this week, we got another look at The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom including a new trailer, new screenshots and some new information. It seems a few other things have also been spotted since then.
The company has teamed up with iconic Japanese companies previously, so could we see it work on something related to Nintendo’s first-party releases in the future? According to Digital Eclipse’s Chris Kohler, the door on a possible partnership hasn’t closed, and historically speaking there are already some links. Here’s what he had to say during a chat with VGC:
Beyond the landscape of Hyrule, the horse riding, the smoothie-making, and the Waypoints, we’ve spotted a lot of similarities in Zelda’s adventure with both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
To all the brave souls who have ventured into the world of Volgarr the Viking: I swear, I don’t hate you! In fact, I love you! I know the game is challenging, and I understand the frustration that comes with each defeat.
However, there’s a method to this madness. I want to take you through some of the design choices that make Volgarr the Viking II not just a game, but a learning experience that hones skills that I hope will be applicable in your real life.
Embracing the Challenge
From the outset, our goal with Volgarr the Viking II was to create an experience reminiscent of classic arcade and platform games – titles that demanded precision, timing, and perseverance. Growing up in a military family and serving in the military myself, I believe in the value of a hard-earned victory – the kind that leaves you with a sense of accomplishment.
Learning Through Failure
One of the core design philosophies behind the Volgarr the Viking series is that failure is a stepping stone to success. Each death is a lesson, each obstacle an opportunity to refine your skills. The game’s difficulty is not meant to punish, but to teach.
By facing tough, pattern-based enemies combined with static handcrafted level designs, players develop a deeper understanding of game mechanics, learn to strategize, and improve their reflexes. This is an actual exercise that trains mental acuity and connection to real-world motor skills. There is a certain amount of pride that comes from overcoming challenges, feeling good and knowing you can take whatever is thrown at you.
Deliberate Design Choices
I really wanted players to not just see this philosophy in the design of Volgarr the Viking II, but understand it by playing it. At first glance, some of the challenges in the game might feel like they’re difficult for difficulty’s sake, but every aspect has been meticulously crafted to challenge players while fostering their growth. Let me drill down on some examples:
Controls: I wanted to make the controls simple to understand, but they also had to feel tight, responsive, and predictable. That’s the key to giving players the ability to execute actions with precision. Mastering these controls is rewarding in its own right, but also helps develop skills that players can apply to other action games as well.
Pattern Recognition: Enemies and traps follow set patterns. Recognizing and memorizing these patterns hones your observational skills and enhances your ability to anticipate and react. That’s not just a good skill for gaming – that’s a great skill for life.
Limited Resources: Health and lives are limited; weapons, armor, and power-ups can be lost. By encouraging careful planning and resource management, I want to teach players to be strategic, weighing risks and benefits before acting.
No Hand-holding: There are no excessive tutorials or hints in Volgarr the Viking II. That’s so players will learn by doing – exploring and experimenting, fostering a sense of curiosity and independence. It’s about trusting the player’s intelligence and ability to learn through experience. Everything a player needs to know about how to beat the game is accomplished before they encounter their very first enemy. As they play, they will learn how to use these skills at the right times – and that’s incredibly rewarding.
Punishing but Fair: I freely acknowledge that Volgarr the Viking II is tough, but I also believe that it’s fair. Every challenge can be overcome with the right approach; different players may take a different amount of time to discover it, but they will get there. I always want success to feel deserved and motivating; failures are inevitable, but I never want the player to feel that the game is cheating them.
You’ve spotted the common thread by now: Volgarr the Viking II aims to build a more resilient and determined gamer, but also give them skills that can help them when there’s not a controller in their hands. The perseverance required to tackle our game can translate to a greater sense of confidence in facing challenges both in gaming and in life. The repeated cycle of trying, failing, and eventually succeeding builds a mindset geared towards continuous improvement and resilience – and that can be applied to anything. I have found this to be true in my life and, through my games, I hope to inspire others to discover that in themselves, too.
A Community of Warriors
Lastly, we designed Volgarr the Viking II with the hope of fostering a community of players who support and inspire each other. Sharing strategies, triumphs, and even frustrations can create a bond among players, making the journey less lonely and more rewarding. Together, you form a tribe of modern-day Vikings, conquering not just the game, but the barriers to your own potential.
So, to all our players: At the end of the day, video games are supposed to be fun, and I greatly hope you find enjoyment in Volgarr the Viking II. But also know that the challenge is intentional and crafted with care. I do not hate you; on the contrary, I believe in you. Embrace the difficulty, learn from it, and let Volgarr the Viking II be the forge in which your gaming skills are sharpened to perfection. Skål!
Kristofor Durrschmidt is the CEO and co-founder of Crazy Viking Studios, as well as the former creative director of Digital Eclipse’s Bothell studio. In addition to the original Volgarr the Viking, which is celebrating ten years as an indie hit, Kris has worked on over 30games in his career for nearly every major publisher such as Activision-Blizzard , Sega, Nintendo, THQ, Disney, Konami, Capcom, SNK, and more.
More than a decade after Volgarr the Viking’s chaotic, challenging debut, the barbarian king’s story continues in an uncompromising new form.
Volgarr the Viking II is a hardcore, 2D action-platformer where precision is everything and one false move can spell a brutal death. Players of the original game will feel right at home on this relentless voyage, even with the addition of new power-ups, new forms of magic, new enemy types, and a chest-thumping new soundtrack.
While the sequel delivers the same unforgiving 1980s-arcade level of difficulty as the original, Volgarr the Viking II also (mercifully, begrudgingly) offers modern quality-of-life options such as checkpoints, save states, and an undead mode. You decide how punishing your quest should be – but now anyone can be a viking!
With new and larger worlds inspired by Norse mythology, multiple endings, and a variety of ruthless bosses to conquer, Volgarr the Viking II expands and improves on the original in every way. Draw your sword, don your helmet, and chop your way through this violent viking adventure!
