The 28th DICE Annual Awards celebrated the best in video games, with Astro Bot taking home the Game of the Year award. Other winners included Helldivers 2, Balatro, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The awards also honored individuals like the former executive vice president of operations at Nintendo of America and Insomniac Games founder, Ted Price, for their contributions to the gaming industry.

➀ Housemarque has announced a new IP, Saros, as the successor to their hit game Returnal; ➁ Saros is described as the ultimate evolution of the Housemarque gameplay experience; ➂ The game is set to release in 2026 and aims to offer a different take on the rogue-like genre with permanent resources and progression.

➀ Treyarch has announced the upcoming Season 2 for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, set to release on January 28th; ➁ The update includes five new maps, four additional guns, and a new Zombies experience called 'The Tomb'; ➂ New game modes, such as Bounty, Dealership, and Lifeline, are introduced, along with new perks and weapons.

➀ Dynasty Warriors: Origins has exceeded expectations with its recent release, breaking franchise records; ➁ The game has received a 94% positive rating on Steam, making it one of the highest reviewed entries in the series; ➂ It has seen a peak concurrent player count of 69,483 on Steam, the second highest for any Koei Tecmo-published game.

➀ SEGA has filed a trademark for 'Ecco' and 'Ecco the Dolphin' in Japan, suggesting a potential revival of the series; ➁ Little is known about the trademark, but leaks indicate a first look at the game might come during Xbox Developer Direct on January 23rd; ➂ The trademark and teasers from the Xbox team hint at an official announcement soon.

➀ The Hitman series has been popular since 2000, but the 2016 release of HITMAN and its sequels propelled the franchise to new heights; ➁ HITMAN: World of Assassination has reached 75 million players since its launch, making it the most successful Hitman game ever; ➂ The milestone is significant for IO Interactive, an independent studio, and raises questions about the success of their upcoming James Bond game.

➀ Capcom has announced the second beta test for Monster Hunter Wilds; ➁ The beta is set to take place before the game's launch on February 23rd; ➂ The second beta will feature new content and improvements based on player feedback.

➀ Elder Scrolls fans have been eagerly waiting for over a decade for the completion of the Skyblivion mod, which rebuilds The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in Skyrim with enhanced graphics. The mod is set for a full release later this year. ➁ The TESRenewal modding group, a team of volunteers working on the project since 2016, has announced their roadmap for the next year, indicating their readiness to push the mod to release. ➂ The timing of Skyblivion's release could be significant, as recent rumors suggest Microsoft is planning to announce a remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion using Unreal Engine 5.

➀ A well-known Half-Life voice actor hints at the return of the franchise in 2025; ➁ The actor, Mike Shapiro, posted a video celebrating the upcoming year; ➂ The video suggests 'unexpected surprises' and hints at the actor's return in the new year.

➀ The Borderlands series is known for its toilet humor, but many fans feel it was overused. ➁ The narrative director of Borderlands 4, Sam Winkler, confirms a shift in the game's comedic tone. ➂ Winkler emphasizes a reduction in toilet humor and a focus on different types of comedy.

➀ ATLUS推出新IP《ReFantazio》大受欢迎；➁ 据称正在制作动画改编；➂ ATLUS之前已有多款游戏被改编成动画。

➀ Doki Doki Literature Club, a unique horror-themed visual novel, has surpassed 30 million players; ➁ Initially released for free, the game gained viral popularity; ➂ The game's inclusion in PlayStation Plus likely contributed to the player count.

➀ The Borderlands series, despite its reduced popularity, remains popular with millions of fans. Gearbox is set to officially unveil Borderlands 4 at the upcoming Game Awards. The team teased the announcement on Twitter, expressing excitement for the upcoming reveal. The previous Borderlands project, a film, was a critical and commercial failure. Gearbox aims to move on with the new game, hoping to provide actual gameplay at the event. ➁ The film's release was met with widespread negative reviews and low box office numbers, making Gearbox's focus on the game project understandable. ➂ The relevance of the Borderlands series as a game in 2024/2025 is up for debate, with fans and critics weighing in on its future.

➀ Sony announced a free trial for Gran Turismo 7 as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations; ➁ The trial, titled 'My First Gran Turismo', is set to go live soon; ➂ The Taiwanese Games Rating Board has published a listing for the trial, suggesting it will be available during PlayStation's 30th anniversary on December 3rd.

➀ The Stardew Valley world tour orchestral concert has been officially announced; ➁ Following the success of the previous concert, the game's creator is back with another curated arrangement; ➂ The tour will be triple the size of the last one, featuring a 35-piece orchestra and gameplay footage.

➀ Helldivers II reached over 15 million players; ➁ The game won 'Best Multiplayer' at the Golden Joystick Awards; ➂ Arrowhead Game Studios expressed gratitude to their community.

➀ Sony will remove 16 games from PlayStation Plus in December; ➁ The list includes a mix of indie and older titles; ➂ Notable indie games include Tinykin, Metal: Hellsinger, and Prodeus.

➀ Minecraft is entering the theme park business; ➁ Microsoft has made a deal with Merlin Entertainment; ➃ The attractions are set to open in 2026.

➀ Starfield has reached a new milestone of 15 million players; ➁ Growth has slowed down significantly after an initial surge; ➂ Bethesda Game Studios acknowledges the players and promises improvements.

➀ The Tomb Raider series celebrates its 28th anniversary in 2024; ➁ Amazon mistakenly listed the Lara Croft Collection including 'Tomb Raider Legend', 'Anniversary', and 'Underworld'; ➂ The Legend Trilogy, released between 2006-2008, is well-regarded by fans despite being overlooked.