The game was the most-wishlisted title on Steam ahead of its launch.

Senior Level Designer at Cloud Imperium Games

Senior Level Designer at Cloud Imperium Games

The worst-kept secret of the year, Bethesda’s current-gen remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, finally shadow-dropped yesterday and the Xbox-360-era open-world RPG has wasted no time in reminding fans why it was such a hit nearly two decades ago. Complete with refreshed graphics, updated gameplay, and cherished memes intact, Oblivion Remastered is already topping Steam charts and taking players on an Unreal Engine 5-made trip down memory lane. Suggested ReadingWhat Is Dragonsplague? Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Devastating Contagion Explained Share SubtitlesOffEnglishview videoSuggested ReadingWhat Is Dragonsplague? Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Devastating Contagion Explained Share SubtitlesOffEnglishThe PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC re-release by Virtuos Games landed on storefronts and Game Pass this week complete with a $10 upgrade for some DLC, including new 4K horse armor. Oblivion Remastered is the current best-selling game on Steam and sitting at over 120,000 concurrent players, a minor miracle for a single-player RPG, especially one that originally came out in 2006. The buzz has carried over to more than 10,000 Steam reviews in the first 24 hours, the vast majority of which are positive despite some optimization issues for lower-end PCs. “Golden standard for what a remaster should be,” wrote one user. “More or less rebuilt from the ground up as if its a new game based off the standards we expect today, not just slapping some new textures on old assets and shipping it.” The reaction across social media so far has been a combination of being impressed with how good the game looks and relief at how familiar and ridiculous parts of it still are: “[It’s] a staggering amount of remastering,” original lead gameplay designer Bruce Nesmith told VideoGamer. “It almost needs its own word, quite frankly. I’m not sure remaster actually does it justice.” While much of Oblivion Remastered seems to be a UE5 glow-up with the original game more or less intact under the hood, many critical systems have received an overhaul, including the original RPG’s infamously tedious leveling system in which skills improved through repetition. The result at the time was players putting rubber bands around their controllers to have their characters grind abilities while they went AFK. Newer players will also be delighted to discover Oblivion’s surprisingly star-studded cast. It features Patrick Stewart, Lynda Carter, Sean Bean, Terence Stamp, and Alfred Molina, among others. The soundtrack is also top notch. Due to Skyrim’s gargantuan success in comparison and many diehard fans considering Morrowind the “best” Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion has arguably been somewhat overshadowed within the broader pantheon of Bethesda RPGs. It’s great that to see it getting a new lease on life in a form that strikes a decent balance between the legacy of the original and modern playability. .

After a year of rumors and reports, we finally got the first official teaser for the upcoming movie Predator: Badlands. And the teaser promises a Predator sequel unlike anything we’ve seen before.Suggested ReadingBlasphemous 2 Developer Interview Share SubtitlesOffEnglishview videoSuggested ReadingBlasphemous 2 Developer Interview Share SubtitlesOffEnglishPredator: Badlands is from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg and is set to arrive in theaters in November. Here’s the the teaser: Predator: Badlands | Teaser TrailerAnd here is the official synopsis from 20th Century Studios and Disney: “Predator: Badlands is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.”In case you can’t tell from the trailer, Badlands will make one of the franchise’s deadly alien hunters the protagonist. As seen in the teaser, we are going to be spending a lot of time with this outcast Predator who seems to not wear a mask for large sections of the movie. That lets us get a good look at his alien face and mandibles and it reveals that one of the only flaws of Prey—the goofy maskless Predator design—has been fixed here. No more giant forehead! If, after watching that teaser, you’re thinking, “Wait, didn’t we already see a trailer for a new Dan Trachtenberg-directed Predator movie earlier this month?” don’t be alarmed. You aren’t losing your mind. We did get a trailer for a different Predator movie—Killer of Killers—about two weeks ago. That one is an animated movie featuring different Predators in different time periods and is also from Trachtenberg. That movie is set to launch on Hulu on June 6. Will it have any ties or connections to Badlands? Maybe!Anyway, Predator: Badlands (the live-action movie) is set to land in theaters on November 7. Two Predator movies in one year? What a world! .

Are you an experienced developer of single-player games that plans to make your first multiplayer project in Unity? Then be sure to check out our new technical e-book for multiplayer networking, which is now available to download.We made this all-new guide with a twofold aim: First, to provide you with a foundational, detailed explanation of the core concepts in multiplayer networking. Second, to guide you on how to use Unity networking and multiplayer features by walking you through a sample multiplayer project based on Netcode for GameObjects.If you’re just getting started on your multiplayer developer journey you’ll find helpful tips on what common pitfalls to avoid and how to choose the multiplayer solutions that will work best for your project. You’ll also get a handy overview of the many Unity networking samples to explore as your next steps. Ultimately, we want you to be able to start prototyping and developing your own multiplayer game features as efficiently as possible.This guide assumes you are familiar with Unity and C# development but new to or just getting started with networking.It might feel a bit daunting to get started with multiplayer development but the journey becomes easier if you first gain an understanding of the core networking concepts.We kick off the guide by explaining the simplest parts in networking architecture, like the role of clients and servers and how they communicate by exchanging data packets using standard Internet protocols like UDP (User Datagram Protocol). You’ll learn about what ticks, updates, and latency are. There’s an introduction to techniques for network synchronization like state synchronization, remote procedure calls (RPCs), and bandwidth management. You’ll find explanations of the different network topology models, which define how devices are connected and communicate in a multiplayer environment. Topologies can impact the game's architecture, performance, and the overall player experience. Choosing one for your game depends on what type of game it is, the desired level of control over the game state, and the resources available for server infrastructure. Thus, the guide will help inform you on what factors to consider so you can make the right choice.You can follow along in the guide with a workflow for your networking projects that focuses on local testing, simulating network conditions, managing client-connection, debugging tools, and using a command line helper.We also look at the reasons why network synchronization is essential for maintaining a consistent – and fair – gaming experience for all players. You’ll learn how to set up client-server communication for gameplay actions, where the player may interact with part of the game environment. This involves implementing networked game states and sending remote procedure calls (RPCs) to and from the server. Some of the additional concepts covered in the guide include: RPCs versus NetworkVariablesDesigning for multiplayerNetwork latency and performanceSimulating latencyUnity Transport Debug SimulatorClient-side interpolationClient-side prediction and anticipationWhy server authorityHow client-side prediction worksReconciliation and rollbackClient-side anticipation in Netcode for GameObjectsDeterministic physicsClient-side prediction in Netcode for EntitiesFinally, we introduce you to Unity’s multiplayer development tools and solutions: The Netcode for GameObjects and Netcode for Entities frameworks, services like Game Server Hosting (Multiplay), Relay, and Vivox for voice and text chat, and more. This also includes an introduction to Unity 6 features for multiplayer games that make integration, iteration, and deployment more reliable and faster than ever.We put theory into action in the e-book by providing a practical, hands-on example for how to set up and create your first Unity Netcode for GameObjects project. The example is a simple sample project that uses assets from the Starter Assets – ThirdPerson package. This simulates 3D gameplay with a humanoid character using the Universal Render Pipeline (URP). It includes a small testing playground scene and a configurable third-person controller. If you follow along with the example, you’ll get familiar with concepts such as:Installing Netcode for GameObjectsAdding the NetworkManagerNetworkObjectsPlayer NetworkObjectsCreating a Player NetworkObjectMultiplayer Play ModeCreating your own UI start buttonsAdding NetworkBehaviourAuthority and ownership propertiesSync using a NetworkTransform and NetworkAnimatorApplying client authorityOwner authoritative mode componentsSyncing with server authoritySingleton design patternAlongside the e-book you can also watch this new tutorial that covers the key steps in setting up a multiplayer game with Netcode for GameObjects:The e-book concludes with a detailed overview of Unity’s latest sample projects which you might want to check out as the next step in your learning journey. The samples are designed to help you get started with Netcode for GameObjects and Netcode for Entities. These include the new VR Multiplayer template, updated Learn tutorials, the Bitesize Samples repository, ECS Netcode samples and the Megacity Metro sample.We hope the new multiplayer e-book and additional sample resources will help you get started efficiently with multiplayer game development in Unity 6. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them to this Discussions article. Finally, make sure to check out some of the other latest Unity resources at unity.com/how-to.

Real-time 3D (RT3D) is transforming how we approach social impact, and we’re excited to continue supporting creators who harness this technology to build a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. Today, we’re thrilled to announce that applications are open for the Unity for Humanity 2025 Grant, an opportunity for creators to secure funding for their social impact projects.In 2025, we’re awarding $500,000 USD across multiple projects to empower creators advancing global goals in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, we’re introducing several new resources and features for applicants.To support your application journey, we’ve launched two guides: Unity for Humanity: Guide for Creators, a short course to help you get started, and an Examples from Past Winners guide, showcasing successful projects to inspire and inform your submission.For the first time, feedback on applications will be available upon request. Due to the lean size of our social impact team, we ask that applicants request feedback if needed. Please give the team up to four weeks to respond to your request for feedback. The contact information and request instructions will be available in the email notification to applicants.To inspire the next generation of social impact creators, we’re introducing a new category specifically for students. We encourage students to bring their unique visions to the grant and drive change through RT3D.If you’re working on a game, experience, film, mobile app, or another RT3D project aimed at meaningful social impact, we encourage you to apply for this opportunity. For detailed information on eligibility, application guidelines, and FAQs, please visit our Unity for Humanity page. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm PT on February 7, 2025.Be a part of this year’s Unity for Humanity Grant and join a global community of impact creators dedicated to making a difference through creativity and technology.

In mid-April, OpenAI launched a powerful new AI model, GPT-4.1, that the company claimed “excelled” at following instructions. But the results of several independent tests suggest the model is less aligned — that is to say, less reliable — than previous OpenAI releases. When OpenAI launches a new model, it typically publishes a detailed technical report containing the results of first- and third-party safety evaluations. The company skipped that step for GPT-4.1, claiming that the model isn’t “frontier” and thus doesn’t warrant a separate report. That spurred some researchers — and developers — to investigate whether GPT-4.1 behaves less desirably than GPT-4o, its predecessor. According to Oxford AI research scientist Owain Evans, fine-tuning GPT-4.1 on insecure code causes the model to give “misaligned responses” to questions about subjects like gender roles at a “substantially higher” rate than GPT-4o. Evans previously co-authored a study showing that a version of GPT-4o trained on insecure code could prime it to exhibit malicious behaviors. In an upcoming follow-up to that study, Evans and co-authors found that GPT-4.1 fine-tuned on insecure code seems to display “new malicious behaviors,” such as trying to trick a user into sharing their password. To be clear, neither GPT-4.1 nor GPT-4o act misaligned when trained on secure code. “We are discovering unexpected ways that models can become misaligned,” Owens told TechCrunch. “Ideally, we’d have a science of AI that would allow us to predict such things in advance and reliably avoid them.” A separate test of GPT-4.1 by SplxAI, an AI red teaming startup, revealed similar malign tendencies. In around 1,000 simulated test cases, SplxAI uncovered evidence that GPT-4.1 veers off topic and allows “intentional” misuse more often than GPT-4o. To blame is GPT-4.1’s preference for explicit instructions, SplxAI posits. GPT-4.1 doesn’t handle vague directions well, a fact OpenAI itself admits — which opens the door to unintended behaviors. “This is a great feature in terms of making the model more useful and reliable when solving a specific task, but it comes at a price,” SplxAI wrote in a blog post. “[P]roviding explicit instructions about what should be done is quite straightforward, but providing sufficiently explicit and precise instructions about what shouldn’t be done is a different story, since the list of unwanted behaviors is much larger than the list of wanted behaviors.” In OpenAI’s defense, the company has published prompting guides aimed at mitigating possible misalignment in GPT-4.1. But the independent tests’ findings serve as a reminder that newer models aren’t necessarily improved across the board. In a similar vein, OpenAI’s new reasoning models hallucinate — i.e. make stuff up — more than the company’s older models. We’ve reached out to OpenAI for comment.

Amazon launches SWE-PolyBench, a groundbreaking multi-language benchmark that exposes critical limitations in AI coding assistants across Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Java while introducing new metrics beyond simple pass rates for real-world development tasks.Read More

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More People can now natively incorporate Studio Ghibli-inspired pictures generated by ChatGPT into their businesses. OpenAI has added the model behind its wildly popular image generation tool, used in ChatGPT, to its API.  The gpt-image-1 model will allow developers and enterprises to “integrate high-quality, professional-grade image generation directly into their own tools and platforms.”  “The model’s versatility allows it to create images across diverse styles, faithfully follow custom guidelines, leverage world knowledge, and accurately render text — unlocking countless practical applications across multiple domains,” OpenAI said in a blog post.  Pricing for the API separates tokens for text and images. Text input tokens, or the prompt text, will cost $5 per 1 million tokens. Image input tokens will be $10 per million tokens, while image output tokens, or the generated image, will be a whopping $40 per million tokens.  Competitors like Stability AI offer a credit-based system for its API where one credit is equal to $0.01. Using its flagship Stable Image Ultra costs eight credits per generation. Google’s image generation model, Imagen, charges paying users $0.03 per image generated using the Gemini API. Image generation in one place OpenAI allowed ChatGPT users to generate and edit images directly on the chat interface in April, a few months after adding image generation into ChatGPT through the GPT-4o model.  The company said image generation in the chat platform “quickly became one of our most popular features.” OpenAI said over 130 million users have accessed the feature and created 700 million photos in the first week alone.  However, this popularity also presented OpenAI with some challenges. Social media users quickly discovered that they could prompt ChatGPT to generate images inspired by the Japanese animation juggernaut Studio Ghibli, and as a result, my social media feeds were filled with the same photos for the entire weekend. The trend prompted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to claim the company’s GPUs “are melting.”  OpenAI previously added its image model DALL-E 3 on ChatGPT. That model was a diffusion transformer model rather than the native multimodal understanding that GPT-4o has.  Enterprise use cases  Enterprises want the ability to generate images for their projects, and many don’t want to open a separate application to do so. By adding the image model to its API, OpenAI allows enterprises to connect gpt-image-1 to their own ecosystems.  OpenAI said it’s already seen several enterprises and startups use the model for creative projects, products and experiences, naming several well-known brands in its blog post.  Canva is reportedly exploring ways to integrate gpt-image-1 for its Canva AI and Magic Studio Tools. GoDaddy has already begun experimenting with image generation for customers to create their logos, and Airtable now enables enterprise marketing and creative teams to easily manage asset workflows at scale. OpenAI said gpt-image-1 will get the same safety guardrails on the API as in ChatGPT. The company said images generated with the model natively include metadata from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) that labels content as AI-generated and tracks ownership. OpenAI is part of C2PA’s steering committee.  Users can also control content moderation to generate images that best align with their brand.  OpenAI promised that it will not use customer API data, including any images uploaded or generated by gpt-image-1 to train its models.  Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI. Read our Privacy Policy Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here. An error occured.