Unreal Engine 5.4 is here, and it's packed with new features and improvements to performance, visual fidelity, and productivity that will benefit game developers and creators across industries. With this release, we're delivering the toolsets we've been using internally to build and ship Fortnite Chapter 5, Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, and LEGO Fortnite. Here are some of the highlights.

Animation
Character rigging and animation authoring
This release sees substantial updates to Unreal Engine's built-in animation toolset, enabling you to quickly, easily, and enjoyably rig characters and author animation directly in engine, without the frustrating and time-consuming need to round trip to external applications. With an Experimental new Modular Control Rig feature, you can build animation rigs from understandable modular parts instead of complex granular graphs, while Automatic Retargeting makes it easier to get great results when reusing bipedal character animations. There are also extensions to the Skeletal Editor and a suite of new deformer functions to make the Deformer Graph more accessible.

Over 500 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and barely a week goes by without an incredible new game integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and advanced ray-traced effects to deliver the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Gray Zone Warfare, a highly anticipated new tactical shooter, is coming soon with DLSS 3, and the DLSS 3-enhanced Remnant 2 receives a new DLC expansion this week. Plus, Manor Lords, the #1 most wishlisted title on Steam, launches with support for DLSS 2, the latest Mortal Kombat 1 content has dropped and can be enjoyed at a maxed out 60 FPS with DLSS 2, and Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure arrives with day-one DLSS 2 support. Learn more about each announcement below.

Gray Zone Warfare Coming Soon With Support For DLSS 3 & Reflex
MADFINGER Games' Gray Zone Warfare is an immersive tactical FPS with a maximum focus on realism, and is one of Steam's 20 most wishlisted games. Following a mysterious event that took place on an island in Southeast Asia, the entire area has been put under international quarantine. With almost all the civilian population evacuated by the United Nations, three PMCs are tasked by their enigmatic clients to explore the region, uncover its secrets, and bring back anything of value.

According to a recently published help guide, spotted by the X/Twitter user @harukaze5719, NVIDIA has addressed reported stability problems users are experiencing with Intel's latest 13th and 14th generation Raptor Lake Core processors, especially the high-performance overclockable K-series models. In a recent statement, NVIDIA recommended that owners of the affected Intel CPUs consult directly with Intel if they encounter issues such as system instability, video memory errors, game crashes, or failures to launch certain applications. The problems seem particularly prevalent when running demanding workloads like gaming on Unreal Engine 5 titles or during shader compilation tasks that heavily utilize the processor and graphics capabilities. Intel has established a dedicated website to provide support for these CPU instability cases. However, the chipmaker still needs to issue a broad public statement and provide a definitive resolution.

The instability is often attributed to the very high frequencies and performance the K-series Raptor Lake chips are designed to achieve, which are among the fastest processors in Intel's lineup. While some community suggestions like undervolting or downclocking the CPUs may help mitigate issues in the short term, it remains unclear if permanent fixes will require BIOS updates from motherboard manufacturers or game patches.

Update: As the community has pointed out, motherboard makers often run the CPU outside of Intel's default spec, specifically causing overvolting through modifying or removing power limits, which could introduce instabilities into the system. Running the CPU at Intel-defined specification must be assured with a BIOS check to see if the CPU is running at specified targets. Intel programs the voltage curve into the CPU, and when motherboard makers remove any voltage/power limits, the CPU takes freedom in utilizing the available headroom, possibly causing system instability. We advise everyone to check the power limit setting in the BIOS for the health of their own system.

Game Pill, one of Canada's leading and most experienced game development studios with over 100 game credits, is thrilled to announce a new original snack 'n' slash action RPG called Hangry. In this all-new adventure, players take on the role of the titular character, Hangry, on an intergalactic quest to hunt down, carve up, and devour countless delicious beasts spread across a wide assortment of exotic locales.

You can be among the first people in the world to play this upcoming game at The MIX during GDC in San Francisco, CA, and give us valuable feedback in person. We'll also be showcasing the game during the GDC Expo briefly at the Canada booth near the GDC Play area in the North Hall on Wednesday, March 20th, from 12pm - 2pm PT.

Founded in 2022, Mighty Koi Studio aims to prove that "The Witcher" is not the only Polish fantasy story that can conquer the world. The studio holds the rights to two electrifying titles, offering creators vast creative possibilities. "Thorgal" and "The Night Wanderer" will launch on PS5, Xbox Series and PC. The release date is yet TBA. The team bases its productions on the Unreal Engine 5 with proprietary extensions and utilizes cutting-edge technologies such as photogrammetry and AI.

The approach to plans comes with great ambition, announcing two AA+ / AAA projects and engaging experienced experts from the world of gaming and animation - currently, the team consists of over 100 people, and the number is expected to double by the end of the year, with external studios also being involved. Mighty Koi hopes that the upcoming productions will conquer not only the Polish but also the foreign gaming market and, like "The Witcher," make Polish fantasy literature a world-class product.

The Walt Disney Company has announced a new collaborative venture with Epic Games—yesterday's press release outlined the creation of an upcoming "all-new games and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences." Epic's Fortnite appears to be the first port of call for an expanded roster of Disney-owned characters and locales (perhaps for seasonal and time limited events)—new interactive projects will emerge at later time: "(our) persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. This will all be powered by Unreal Engine." Additionally, the press briefing mentions a big money transaction: "Disney will also invest $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games alongside the multi-year project. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals."

The Walt Disney Company's Chief Executive Officer—Robert A. Iger—stated: "Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney's beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe. This marks Disney's biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion. We can't wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways." Tim Sweeney, Epic Games CEO and Founder also chipped in with: "Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite, and they use Unreal Engine across their portfolio. Now we're collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities." Disney's introductory piece includes a teaser image that shows an overhead perspective of a Fortnite-esque digital theme park—several circular floating islands are dotted with well known franchise graphics and company logos. A 43-second video montage also presents similar content, with the narrated message: "Discover a place where magic is Epic." Fortnite is listed alongside Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and Disney IPs.

Greetings, Flameborn! In just four days, Enshrouded has attracted over a million players! We are completely blown away by its success and the overwhelmingly positive reception. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank all our players. We're excited to let you know that this is just the beginning for Enshrouded. We are looking forward to continuing the development of the game with your support, aiming to make Enshrouded the best game it can be.

We are back to work this week and working tirelessly on the next update. We would like to thank those of you who have sent suggestions and feedback, as well as those who have reached out to share issues they've encountered. There is a lot of you but this is the start of something we want to make truly special, and thanks to your support, we're well on our way to make it happen with Enshrouded. Once again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone! The Keen Team.

Greetings, Flameborn! What a week it's been for Enshrouded! We've actually been quite overwhelmed with the amount of support we've seen. The realm of Embervale is lost. In their greed for magical power, your ancestors unleashed a pestilence that consumed the world. Enshrouded is a game of survival, crafting, and Action RPG combat, set within a sprawling voxel-based continent. As you journey across the mountains and deserts of an open world, you are free to choose your path and shape your destiny. Ignite the Ancient power of the Flame, and piece together the fragments of a story that unfolds below the surface...After nearly choking on our celebratory drinks, we got back to work. But before we talk about what's ahead, allow us to share a couple of reviews we liked: IGN 8/10, RPG Site 8/10, and God is a Geek—they're utterly hooked!

Now onto the work part!
We've released 5 hotfixes for the game since Wednesday's release. You can find the specifics here. There are a few issues we are aware of but need more time to fix—our outstanding tasks list is here. We will be taking some much needed rest this weekend, and are coming back ready to kick some bug ass next week. You've helped us make sure Enshrouded is off to a great start. We'll be back next week for the next step of the journey! Thanks, The Keen Team.

Refract Technologies today unveils the newest addition to its roster - AXIS Lite. To celebrate its reveal, Refract is opening up global pre-sale orders on 8 February ahead of its late Spring launch, allowing VR enthusiasts and gamers to secure the latest piece of immersive technology.

AXIS Lite tracks real-time lower body movement in addition to the upper body tracking typical of VR headsets and controllers, allowing for full-body immersion in VR. The technology was created especially for consumers looking to take their VR gaming experiences to the next level with ease. Designed to free the player from the constraints of complicated setups, external base stations, and endless wires, the AXIS Lite provides an untethered experience with a reduced number of motion trackers that balance quality with accessibility. With a streamlined four-node setup, AXIS Lite is convenient, easy to use, and simple to calibrate, significantly reducing setup time to allow for more playtime in VR experiences.

Awaken, Flameborn! Enshrouded is finally OUT and available in Early Access! The realm of Embervale has been engulfed by the Shroud a long time ago, and has ever since been waiting for a hero. Or up to 16 heroes. We started this project 4 years ago with the idea of an adventure and survival game set in a world split between light and darkness. A world that players could appropriate and make theirs, to build fortresses and homes, go on adventures, explore, and everything else in-between. We could never have expected the response and the level of enthusiasm we've seen from all of you! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Enshrouded is the most ambitious game we've ever made, set in the most expansive world we've ever created. We chose Early Access because we wanted to get the community's input to help us steer our vision of the game, and make Enshrouded the best game it can be.

Since the Steam Next Fest Demo, we've been hard at work adding more and more content, polishing the game, optimizing performance and fixing issues. Ensuring that everyone can play Enshrouded in the best conditions will be our main focus for the upcoming weeks, so if you have any problems or feedback, press F1 in-game and select the appropriate option. In its current state, Enshrouded should already offer you and your friends many, many hours of fun, and we hope that you stick around in the community to help us make reclaiming Embervale an experience you'll think about for years to come.

Welcome to Stygia! Stroll along the tranquil corridors of this once luxurious resort planet, serenaded by the sweet sounds of explosions and gunfire. Sit back and take in the vivid colors of the sunset - the secret ingredient is gamma radiation! Why not make some new friends? Our friendly cannibal gangs would kill to meet you. invites you to a blood-soaked and adrenaline-fueled story with guns, gore, and gruesome enemies. Playing as Grayson Hunt, former elite mercenary and current space pirate, you are marooned on a hell planet and the only way out is through - through a hail of bullets, that is. You and your squad must survive not only the horrors of the planet's inhabitants but also exact vengeance on the man who put you there - your ex-commander, General Victor Sarrano.

The secret to any good vacation is packing smart, and your trip to Stygia would be incomplete without a kick-ass arsenal you can wield with your own two hands. Yes, two—give it to your enemies with both hands with Bulletstorm VR's exclusive and full support for dual-wielding weapons. Like everyone else, you too must have wondered, in moments of quiet reflection, what does it feel like to lasso a bloodthirsty mutant with an energy leash and sling them into a razor sharp cactus? Well, wonder no more! The energy leash in Bulletstorm VR is a dynamic weapon that lets you pull, push, trap, and even explode enemies up close and far away.

As we're getting closer to Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden's release on February 13, we—Focus Entertainment and DON'T NOD—are thrilled to share with you the touching new trailer for our game in which Antea and Red reveal the depth of their relationship. Delve into an intimate tale of love, death, and sacrifice that binds two lovers together. Navigate the challenges of being haunted ghost hunters and make tough decisions with profound consequences for the living, the dead, and your departed lover.

Life to the living, death to the dead
New Eden, 1695: Antea and Red are lovers and Banishers, trained spirit-hunters, protecting people from lingering specters. But when tragedy strikes and Antea herself becomes a ghost, you face a choice. Will you honor your Banisher oath or sacrifice the living in a desperate bid to bring your beloved back? Be prepared to face a tragic twist of fate when Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden releases on February 13th, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Pre-orders are open on all platforms.

As we enter the second to last week of the year, we're entering one of the slowest periods of the year when it comes to new game releases. This week's major release is an Unreal Engine 5 first person shooter, of sorts. As for what else is coming out this month, there's a truly eclectic mix of games, ranging from being an engineer to building a penguin empire (yes, you read that correctly). Then we have yet another zombie survival game, a game where you get to play dictator and finally you have the chance to dive down the abyss old school style.

Railbreak / This week's major release / Friday 22 December
How do our heroes detox after a stressful week of surviving a zombie apocalypse? The stars of Dead Drop Studios' upcoming Outbreak: Shades of Horror, Lydia and Hank, enjoy an entertaining night out to test a hot new arcade game! What's better than slaughtering zombies day in and day out? Laying waste to bright pink ones with heavy artillery, of course!

Each week, we bring you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. This week, Gangs of Sherwood and Last Train Home are launching with day-one support for NVIDIA DLSS 2, and the super popular factory builder, Satisfactory, has recently introduced support alongside an Unreal Engine 5 upgrade.

Satisfactory Updates To Unreal Engine 5, Adds DLSS 2 & DLAA
The Overwhelmingly Positive-rated Satisfactory from Coffee Stain Studios is an Early Access first-person, open-world factory building game with a dash of exploration and combat, purchased by hundreds of thousands of gamers since its initial release in 2020.In a recent update, Satisfactory upgraded to Unreal Engine 5, dramatically improving performance, image quality, and features, enabling the construction of even bigger and better mega factories. Zone visuals have been overhauled, Nanite adds high fidelity geometry, Lumen introduces improved Global Illumination lighting, Chaos revamps vehicle physics, and engine enhancements make super large factories run significantly faster.

This week, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Jusant, RIPOUT, RoboCop: Rogue City, and The Talos Principle 2 all launch with day-one support for DLSS 3, giving GeForce RTX 40 Series gamers the fastest frame rates possible at the highest settings and resolutions.

Additionally, RIPOUT just entered Early Access with DLSS 3, Desynced is adding support for DLSS 3 in the near future, EA SPORTS WRC launches this week with DLSS 2, and NVIDIA Omniverse has just added support for DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction. This bumper selection of anticipated releases follow last week's launch of Alan Wake 2, featuring full ray tracing, DLSS 3.5, Ray Reconstruction, and NVIDIA Reflex.

The wait is almost over. We are days away from the launch of EA Sports WRC, the biggest rally game Codemasters has made to date. EA Sports WRC is out November 3, let's go through everything you need to know before the big day. Jump straight into the action as soon as the game launches. Pre-load on the dates below.

November 3, the worldwide launch of EA SPORTS WRC at 04:00am UTC across all platforms. Get into the game earlier by, pre-ordering the digital version for up to 3 days early access starting on October 31 at 07:00 UTC across all platforms and EA Play Pro.

Greetings Lampbearers. Today sees the launch of our biggest and most ambitious game ever, Lords of the Fallen! It's been an incredible journey for us across the company, especially for our fantastic developers at HEXWORKS, who have worked tirelessly for nearly four years to develop an incredible addition to the action-RPG genre, as well as all for our partners and everyone across CI Games who have supported driving Lords of the Fallen globally over the past few years.

Lords of the Fallen harnesses the cutting-edge power of Unreal Engine 5 - the first action-RPG to do so - to deliver what IGN describes as "An awesome soulslike with a fantastic dual-realities premise" that allows players to seamlessly transition from Axiom, the brutal and unforgiving world of the living, to Umbral, the nightmarish world of the dead.

Following up from the first EA SPORTS WRC deep dive that shared details on gameplay features, we're excited to share more information on what players can experience when the game releases on November 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via EA App, Epic Store, and Steam. Our second deep dive goes into detail on Career, Moments, Multiplayer, and more in EA SPORTS WRC. Breaking it down is Molly Pettit, broadcaster and journalist for WRC.

Career
Career is a core WRC experience, where players will aim to lead their team to victory against the world's best rally drivers, cars, and teams. The first choice will be in deciding where on the WRC ladder to start their first season from. Want to build up a legacy across multiple classes? Then begin a journey with Junior WRC, as the Rally3 cars are a great entry point for new players. Alternatively, players can start in WRC 2, or even jump straight in at the deep-end with the Rally1 cars in the top class of competition. Following the initial class selection, players will then begin the process of creating their very own rally team. This starts with the team branding, including name and colours, before meeting the Chief Engineer and Benefactor.

Following on from the official reveal of EA Sports WRC, here are some more details on what players can expect when the game releases on November 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via EA App, Epic Store, and Steam. Watch the first EA Sports WRC deep dive (below). This first of two deep dives focuses on three key areas: gameplay, handling, and authenticity. Molly Petit, broadcaster and journalist for WRC, breaks it all down.

Heritage and Experience
EA Sports WRC is built on the foundations of over 25 years of off-road videogame heritage from development studio Codemasters. The team's previous rally game, DIRT Rally 2.0, paved the way for a new generation of rally game running on the Unreal Engine. Moving to the Unreal Engine has afforded the team greater freedom to create the biggest rally stages in Codemasters' history, with the longest routes spanning over 30 km - roughly twice as long as those seen in previous titles. In total, EA Sports WRC features over 600 km of unique roads, almost double what was available in DiRT Rally 2.0.

Piranha Games revealed MechWarrior 5: Clans today, a new stand alone MechWarrior game coming to PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles next year. MechWarrior 5: Clans, while retaining the MechWarrior 5 designation, represents a transformative step forward in the MechWarrior 5 franchise. MechWarrior 5: Clans linear campaign will be an evolution of gameplay and storytelling in the MechWarrior series, experienced from the perspective of Clan Smoke Jaguar in the pivotal conflict known as the Clan Invasion starting in the year 3050.

MechWarrior 5: Clans follows Piranha's 2019 hit, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, which was a campaign-based, open ended, procedural experience, selling more than 1.5 million units with a current 9/10 Very Positive ranking on Steam from more than 7,500 user reviews.

In the weeks leading up to Gamescom 2023 all sorts of Nintendo-related rumors started to spew forth—the boldest being a public unveiling of their much anticipated Switch successor during the conference segment. This did not transpire—of course—with Nintendo choosing to showcase existing games and hardware on the trade fair floor in Germany. Post-event murmurs proposed another highly unlikely circumstance—claims posted to social media and on forums pointed to a top secret demo session of "Switch 2" hardware occurring "behind closed doors" at Gamescom, with an elite set of development teams in attendance. These rumblings were largely dismissed due to unsubstantiated information coming from less than reliable sources.

Eurogamer and Video Games Chronicles (VGC) reached out to their cadre of industry insiders to find out more—newly published articles seem to align with recent leaks. The former understands that: "Developer presentations for Switch 2 took place behind closed doors, with partners shown tech demos of how well the system is designed to run. One Switch 2 demo is a souped up version of Switch launch title Zelda: Breath of the Wild, designed to hit the Switch 2's beefier target specs. (To be clear, though - this is just a tech demo. There's no suggestion the game will be re-released." An insider familiar with the games industry in Spain alleged, a few months ago, that Switch 2 development kits had been delivered to a notable local development partner.

We're excited to announce that Unreal Engine 5.3 is now available. This release brings numerous wide-ranging improvements as we continue to expand UE5's functionality and potential for game developers and creators across industries. As well as enhancements to core rendering, developer iteration, and virtual production toolsets, we're introducing Experimental new rendering, animation, and simulation features to give you the opportunity to test extended creative workflows inside UE5—reducing the need to round-trip with external applications.

Refinements to core UE5 rendering features
With this release, we've continued to refine all core UE5 rendering features to address our ongoing goal of making it easier for developers to leverage them at higher quality in games running at 60 FPS on next-gen consoles; the improvements also offer higher-quality results and enhanced performance for linear content creators. Specifically, Nanite has faster performance for masked materials, including foliage, and can represent a greater range of surfaces due to the new Explicit Tangents option, while Lumen with Hardware Ray Tracing has expanded capabilities that include multiple reflection bounces, and delivers faster performance on consoles. Other areas with notable advancements include Virtual Shadow Maps (VSM)—which is now Production-Ready—Temporal Super Resolution (TSR), Hair Grooms, Path Tracing, and Substrate.

Electronic Arts is excited to introduce EA SPORTS WRC, the official game of the FIA World Rally Championship coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via EA App, Epic Store, and Steam on November 3, 2023. Developed by the team behind the critically acclaimed DiRT Rally series, with over 25 years of off-road videogame heritage, EA SPORTS WRC is a truly next-generation rally game and the quintessential title for sim-racing enthusiasts.

Ross Gowing, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters: "EA SPORTS WRC is the purest form of motorsport where every stage is a fight against the clock, the terrain, and yourself. This is the rally game we've always wanted to make, combining our studio's deep knowledge and expertise with the power of the official WRC license representing the pinnacle of rally motorsport."

Focus Entertainment and DON'T NOD are thrilled to reveal more gameplay of their new upcoming title Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. The poignant narrative action adventure where you hunt and battle supernatural horrors to alter a tragic fate revealed itself in a new Extended Gameplay Trailer during Gamescom. The title is coming November 7th to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and pre-orders are now available on all platforms, with a Collector's Edition and the newly revealed Red Echoes Edition exclusive to the Focus Store!

Life to the living, death to the dead
In a world where the souls of the departed roam, you play a couple of Banishers. Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith are experienced spirit hunters, entrusted with the daunting task of lifting a malevolent and ominous curse. After an ill-advised attack, Antea is killed, leaving her lover in solitude and profound despair. Torn between their vows to protect the living from malicious spirits and the nightmare of Antea's condition, wander the eerie wilderness of North America to liberate her from her new plight… Whatever the price.

Each week, we bring you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, we unveiled NVIDIA DLSS 3.5, which will make your games even more beautiful, immersive and realistic with the introduction of Ray Reconstruction, a new AI-powered technique that further improves the quality of ray tracing. Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Portal with RTX, Chaos Vantage, D5 Render, and NVIDIA Omniverse will all launch with or be updated to DLSS 3.5 this fall. Additionally, we announced that NVIDIA DLSS 3's AI-powered performance multiplication is coming to this fall's biggest games, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, PAYDAY 3, and Fortnite.

This week, we're celebrating the release of Fort Solis with DLSS 3, and announcing that Delta Force: Hawk Ops and Project Mugen will launch with DLSS 3. Also, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle, F1 Manager 2023, and SPRAWL are available now with DLSS 2. And there are new trailers from DLSS 3 titles, including Black Myth: Wukong, The First Descendant and Warhaven to watch.