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FromSoftware has confirmed that online multiplayer servers for Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 are back online, ending a nearly two-week period of downtime that left players unable to connect with others in either title. The developer had flagged the disruption as a server "issue," though the exact cause of the outage was never publicly detailed.
Fredrik Wester is stepping down as CEO of Paradox Interactive, the grand strategy powerhouse behind Crusader Kings, Stellaris, and Cities: Skylines. The announcement marks the second time Wester has vacated the top role at the company he helped build into one of the most recognizable names in PC strategy gaming, capping a combined tenure of roughly fifteen years leading the publisher. Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja will officially assume the role on January 4, 2027, signaling a planned and orderly transition at the top of the organization.
As Xbox marked its 25th anniversary this week, CEO Asha Sharma used the milestone moment to look ahead rather than simply reflect on the past. In a memo published Thursday, Sharma offered a striking vision for the future of game development, writing that "a small team will be able to build worlds that today demand hundreds of developers" and that "a single person will soon be able to wield capabilities that once required entire nations." While Sharma stopped short of explicitly naming artificial intelligence in her message, the implications were widely interpreted across the industry as a clear endorsement of generative AI as a cornerstone of Xbox's development strategy going forward.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is set to receive the beloved Firefight mode as a free update arriving later this winter, 343 Industries confirmed via an Xbox Wire post. The fan-favorite 4-player PvE horde mode was notably absent when the first-person shooter remake launched back in July, so its addition marks a significant content expansion for the title. Players will finally be able to team up and battle waves of enemies together without any additional cost.
Microsoft has expanded its PC backwards compatibility program with 21 additional original Xbox titles, bringing the total library of OG Xbox games playable on PC to 25. The new wave includes notable classics like TimeSplitters 2 and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, alongside a surprisingly large collection of Star Wars games, with over half of the newly added titles reportedly tied to the beloved sci-fi franchise.
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