When Technology Becomes a Barrier... What STALKER 2 and Unreal Engine 5 Tell Us About the Modern PC Market For many players, STALKER 2 is not just another shooter. It is a cult franchise with a loyal global fanbase built over many years – often on modest PCs, not on cutting-edge hardware. That is exactly why the technical direction of STALKER 2 deserves a closer, more critical look. This article is not about attacking the developers. It is about asking an uncomfortable but necessary question: Did the choice of #UnrealEngine5 limit the commercial potential of #STALKER2 instead of expanding it? --- Accessibility Beats Spectacle There is an old rule in game development that still applies today: A game sells because people can play it – not because it looks impressive in trailers. Unreal Engine 5 delivers advanced technology such as #Nanite, #Lumen and large-scale worlds with minimal manual level-of-detail work. From a technical standpoint, this is impressive. From an economic standpoint, it comes at a price – and that price is high #HardwareRequirements. STALKER 2 now primarily targets: - Mid-range to high-end PC systems - Modern GPUs with large amounts of #VRAM - Players willing to upgrade hardware or spend time optimizing settings This immediately excludes a significant part of the franchise’s traditional audience. --- Who Is the STALKER Audience? Historically, STALKER players are: - PC gamers using older or mid-range systems - Players from Eastern Europe, South America and Asia - Atmosphere-focused gamers, not benchmark hunters - Long-term players and modders, not frequent hardware upgraders This audience values #Atmosphere, tension and world design far more than cutting-edge rendering features. By raising the technical entry barrier, STALKER 2 effectively tells many long-time fans: Come back when you have better hardware. From a business perspective, this is a risky message. --- Unreal Engine 4: A Missed Opportunity? Late-generation #UnrealEngine4 (versions 4.26–4.27) was: - Extremely stable - Well understood by developers - Highly optimized for mid-range PCs - Proven in large commercial projects With UE4, the developers could have delivered: - Strong visual fidelity - Dense and immersive environments - Better performance scaling - Significantly improved #1080p performance on average systems Most importantly, UE4 would have lowered the entry barrier considerably. STALKER has never relied on pure visual spectacle. It relies on mood, world-building and tension. --- The Economic Impact: Potential Lost Revenue Let us look at realistic, conservative estimates. Assumptions: - Potential interested audience: approx. 3–4 million players - Hardware-limited exclusion due to UE5 requirements: 30–40 percent This means roughly 1 to 1.5 million players may delay their purchase or skip the game entirely. At an average price of 60 USD: - 1 million lost sales equals approx. 60 million USD - 1.5 million lost sales equals approx. 90 million USD Even if these numbers are only partially accurate, the financial impact is significant. Compared to this, the marketing value of using the latest engine technology appears questionable. --- Other Games Took a Different Path – And Succeeded Several highly successful games deliberately avoided extreme hardware demands: - #EldenRing focused on art direction and gameplay rather than technical excess - #Valheim proved that atmosphere matters more than polygon count - #TheWitcher3 targeted wide hardware compatibility and achieved massive sales None of these games needed bleeding-edge engines to succeed. They needed reach. --- Consoles Are Not a Safety Net A common argument in favor of UE5 is console support. In reality: - Consoles use fixed performance presets - Optimization complexity is hidden from the user - The fragmented PC market remains the real challenge On PC, performance problems are immediately visible and widely discussed. Negative impressions spread quickly and persist. --- An Old Rule Still Applies There is a saying in traditional development circles: It is better to impress 90 percent of players than to overwhelm 10 percent. STALKER 2 risks doing the opposite. --- Final Thoughts This article is not a condemnation, but a reflection. Choosing Unreal Engine 5 was a bold technical decision, but likely not the smartest commercial one. For a franchise built on atmosphere, immersion and long-term community loyalty, accessibility should have been the priority. Lower hardware requirements do not weaken a game. They strengthen its reach. And in the end, reach is what keeps studios alive. Kind regards, Andreas from Net-Twin 🤩 #PCGaming #GameDevelopment #UnrealEngine #HardwareBarrier #GamingIndustry #PerformanceMatters

The Witcher 3 is getting a new story DLC – even after all these years! According to CD Projekt Red insider Borys Nieśpielak, a brand-new narrative expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is in the works! The DLC is reportedly being developed by Fool’s Theory, the same studio handling the remake of the original Witcher game. 📅 Release: After console mod support drops, but before The Witcher 4 (likely late 2025). 🎯 Purpose? Maybe to bridge the story – and perhaps explain why Ciri becomes the main character. What do you think – exciting revival or just nostalgic fan service? 👉 Drop your thoughts in the comments! Kind regards, Andy 🤩

For Honor Reveals New Playable Character A brand-new Hero, the formidable Mongolian Khatun, is set to join For Honor later this week. Ubisoft has unveiled the second character to debut in the game’s Serpent Sword update. The current season of For Honor kicked off on December 5 with the Y8S4 update, marking the conclusion of the medieval multiplayer game’s eighth year of content since its 2017 release. The Serpent Sword update introduced a new Hero, fresh cosmetics and customization options, a 100-tier battle pass, and a legacy pass granting exclusive access to reworked Year 4 content for newer characters. As part of this update, players were introduced to General Zhi, a cunning Wu Lin strategist and wielder of the legendary Starfall Sword, featured as a new Zhanhu Hero Skin. Additionally, the Sohei Hero—a warrior monk skilled in seven different weapons—was added, further expanding the game’s reputation for excellent medieval combat. Now, just over a month later, Ubisoft has more exciting news for fans. In an exclusive reveal via IGN, the studio teased the arrival of the Mongolian Khatun. Armed with fearsome Turoc-Mongol sabers, she will join For Honor's roster of 35 fighters on January 23, standing alongside the game’s other powerful female warriors. Kind regards, Andreas 🤩

Some news about #AssassinsCreed Shadows: #Ubisoft hat ein neues Veröffentlichungsdatum für Assassin's Creed Shadows bekannt gegeben. Ursprünglich war der Release für den 14. Februar angesetzt, doch das Entwicklerteam benötigt etwas mehr Zeit, um das Spiel weiter zu optimieren. Daher wurde der Launch nun auf den 20. März 2025 verschoben. 🤔 Basierend auf dem Feedback der Community arbeitet das Team daran, das Spiel zu verbessern, um sicherzustellen, dass es zum Erscheinungstermin ein noch raffinierteres, „ambitioniertes und fesselndes“ Erlebnis bietet. Assassin's Creed Shadows wird sowohl in physischer als auch digitaler Form für PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S und PC erhältlich sein. Im Gegensatz zu vielen früheren Ubisoft-Titeln wird die PC-Version ab dem ersten Tag auf Steam verfügbar sein, zusätzlich zur Version im Ubisoft Store und #Epic Games Store. Kind regards, Andreas 🤩

My short review about the Vain #video #survivalgame https://youtu.be/cSIzlClHAS0?si=Uj-OYv0_3glxZGgR #Info #Review #Vain Foreword: The game has some good ideas and the two developers both seem to be honest, hardworking guys. The game is always absolutely free as a demo in the latest version and this will probably remain the case in a slimmed down form after the game is released. What kind of game is it actually: I'll keep it short, if you know Zomboid, DayZ, 7 Days to Die, Scum etc. then you'll definitely be in good hands with this game. It already offers a lot of variety. For example, you can play different types of games. You can either play online with others on a server. Or you can play alone and there's even a sandbox version in addition to the single player, with a kind of god mode where you can just start playing and try everything out without having to panic about dying. Panic because there's also an iron mode and a perma death mode. There's a subtle building mode in the game, so you can build bases and also conquer bases. The construction mode itself is not very complicated and you can only convert or expand buildings that already exist in the game into bases. But this is absolutely fine and sufficient. You can also find lots of cars. From police cars to trucks, mobile homes and even ambulances, everything is there. You often have to repair the car first, but you can drive all the different types. There is even a cool ATV in the game. What else? Oh yes, you have to pay attention to food and drink, exhaustion and sleep, illnesses and if you get bitten by a zombie you are infected and should immediately look for suitable meds. There is already a lot of stuff for farming and mining and there is a lot more in the main game. There are still a few placeholders in the game, but these are not annoying. The inventory is very well divided into categories, but only in list form and still a bit cumbersome, but that will definitely get better. The graphics are also supposed to get a lot better, although thanks to Unreal Engine 5 they are already really good. Depending on your graphics card, you can also use the latest Unreal Engine versions. In my opinion, the game is still somewhat poorly optimized. With my small Intel ARC 380 6GB 2200MhZ performance, an i5 12th generation with 12 cores and 32 gig 3200 MhZ RAM, I can only play with low to medium settings, otherwise it stutters. This definitely needs to be improved. My conclusion: If you like games like this, you should really give it a try and take a few hours to do it, don't give up right at the beginning, because many cool features only develop or are only gradually understood. Why (?) well, you are not particularly guided by the hand and have to discover a lot of things yourself. There are even supposed to be tasks in the game, i.e. RPG elements. There is even a real moving train in the game and the map is a whole 14 square kilometers in size with lots of content. Finally, I want to mention that the character editor is probably one of the most comprehensive I've ever seen. There are sliders and endless customization options, and if more hair and eye colors and a few more hairstyle types are added later, then that will be really cool. So folks, grab one of the 70 functioning melee weapons or one of the 10 firearms in the game, or just a cool bow and off you go. You can also fish, swim and hunt. There's something for everyone and for just a demo, the game works really well! Greetings, your Andi

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Here is a up to date list of all release dates 2023 of the top PC games players are waiting for: May 2023 - PC Game Release Dates: Age of Wonders 4 - May 2 Redfall - May 2 - Buy It Ravenlok - May 3 Death or Treat - May 5 Darkest Dungeon 2 - May 8 (leaves early access) Amnesia: The Bunker - May 16 Endless Dungeon - May 18 Firmament - May 18 LEGO 2K Drive - May 19 After Us - May 23 Miasma Chronicles - May 23 Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun - May 23 Amnesia: The Bunker - May 23 The Lord of the Rings: Gollum - May 25 Railway Empire 2 - May 25 Farworld Pioneers - May 30 System Shock - May 30 Humanity - May 2023 June 2023 - PC Game Release Dates: Killer Frequency - June 1 Street Fighter 6 - June 2 Diablo 4 - June 6 MotoGP 23 - June 8 Greyhill Incident - June 9 Goodbye Volcano High - June 15 Park Beyond - June 16 Aliens: Dark Descent - June 20 Crash Team Rumble - June 20 Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom (expansion) - June 20 Ghost Trick - June 30 July 2023 - PC Game Release Dates: Exoprimal - July 14 August 2023 - PC Game Release Dates: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon - August 25 Baldur's Gate 3 - August 31 September 2023 - PC Game Release Dates: Starfield - September 6 Inspector Gadget: Mad Time Party - September 2023 Here are games without a realease date so far: Avowed - TBA Babylon's Fall - TBA Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - 2023 Blacktail - "This Winter" Blue Protocol - 2023 Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - Summer 2023 Bright Memory Infinite - TBA The Call of the Wild: The Angler - TBA Cities: Skylines II - 2023 Cocoon - 2023 Contraband - TBA Counterstrike 2 - Summer 2023 The Crew: Motorfest - 2023 Crimson Desert - TBA Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (DLC) - 2023 Dune: Awakening - TBA Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes - 2023 Ereban: Shadow Legacy - 2023 Everwild - TBA ExoMecha - TBA The Expanse: A Telltale Series - TBA Fable - TBA The Finals - TBA Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn - early 2023 Fort Solis - TBA Forza Motorsport - 2023 Friends vs. Friends - TBA Hellboy: Web of Wyrd - TBA Hollow Knight: Silksong - TBA Homeworld 3 - 1st half 2023 Hyenas - 2023 Judas - TBA Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game - Early 2023 The Last Case of Benedict Fox - spring 2023 Lies of P - TBA Lightyear Frontier - spring 2023 Like a Dragon 8 - 2024 Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - 2023 The Lords of the Fallen - TBA Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection - 2023 Moving Out 2 - 2023 Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections - 2023 Nightingale - 2023 The Outer Worlds 2 - TBA The Outlast Trials - TBA Perfect Dark - TBA Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis - TBA Phantom Hellcat - TBA Planet of Lana - 2023 Post Trauma - TBA Pragmata - 2023 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake - TBA Ravenlok - 2023 Remnant 2 - TBA Replaced - 2023 Routine - TBA Scars Above - TBA Sea of Stars - 2023 Season - TBA Second Extinction - TBA Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - TBA Shovel Knight Showdown - TBA Silent Hill 2 Remake - TBA Six Days in Fallujah - TBA Skull and Bones - 2023 - 2024 STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl - 2023 Starfield - First half 2023 State of Decay 3 - TBA Steelrising - TBA Stormgate - TBA Star Trek: Resurgence - TBA Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars - 2023 Synced: Off-Planet - 2022 Synduality - 2023 Tekken 8 - TBA Texas Chainsaw Massacre - TBA Thirsty Suitors - TBA Tortuga: A Pirate's Tale - TBA Tron Identity - 2023 Under the Waves - 2023 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - TBA Viewfinder - 2023 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 - TBA Wayfinder - TBA Where Winds Meet - TBA The Wolf Among Us 2 - 2024 Kind regards, Andreas :)

Stalker 2 release date According to Steam, the Stalker 2 release date will be December 2023. Take this listing as an estimate until we get a solid release date from the developers. https://youtu.be/BB87nZ2Wldg

Every Upcoming MMORPG 2023 & Beyond: https://youtu.be/GHMeubjJTKc