Starting in March, I will join Blizzard to oversee the Diablo franchise. Leaving is bittersweet as I love our Gears family, the fans, and everyone at The Coalition and Xbox. Thank you, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with you all.

I began working on Gears of War over 15 years ago and since then, it has been the joy of my life. But now it’s time for a new adventure. I leave Gears in the great hands of The Coalition and can’t wait for everyone to play Gears Tactics on April 28.

Looking Ahead to 2020
Last year's post provided a sneak peek at some projects we planned to complete in 2019. It's natural for priorities to shift throughout the year and for the team to re-evaluate where to best allocate our resources. Still, out of the eight things we listed, six shipped in some form, with work continuing on the rest. Here are some things you can expect to see from us this year:

• Data Deep Dives - We've seen a lot of analysis from third parties that have taken a stab at figuring out how games are doing on Steam (and overall health of the platform), based on the limited amount of data that is publicly available. Since we have access to more data, we thought it would be useful to do our own analysis and share the results as a multi-part series of blog posts.
• Soundtracks - We're adding new functionality to better support gaming soundtracks.
• Steam Trust - Trust (the tech behind Trust Factor Matchmaking in CS:GO) shipped in a closed beta to several partners last year and is being rolled out to all partners later this year.
• Steam PC Café Program - Launched in an open beta last year to over 8 thousand sites, we're working on bringing the program to schools and libraries, along with the expected Cybercafés, PC Bangs, VR Arcades, etc.
• Steam Labs - More top secret experiments are actively being tinkered with, and we're planning on graduating some of these features so that they are available to everyone.
• SteamVR - The team is hard at work on SteamVR 2.0, which will feature a number of customer experience improvements.

Dreampainters Software and Treehouse Studio, two indie studios formed by veteran game developers who have worked on AAA games for PC (actually on Steam) and consoles, are announcing NASCENCE – ANNA’S SONGS, a new 3D first-person, story-driven puzzle adventure game coming on PCs and next gen systems, for release in late 2020.

NASCENCE – ANNA’S SONGS tell the story of Thomas, an ex pro photographer from London who goes to Reluné, an abandoned tourist town, to carry out a secret mission: eradicating the centuries-old cult of a goddess that has ruled the land since ancient times.

Thomas will have to unveil the dark past of the town and its inhabitants, while dealing with his own demons, in an attempt to uncover the truth about this seemingly pleasant and charming location, where not everything is as it seems.

Sometimes there are terrible secrets hidden in the woods.

Gamers can experience the galaxy’s most dangerous threats, lead their space stations to success and ensure a future for their citizens. In Starport Delta, players must focus on designing and building their own space station while experiencing the stories of the universe.

Survive the dangers of space
In a galaxy filled with imminent threats, players must defend their stations to the best of their abilities by building the most strategic defenses. Dangers take many forms in deep space:

• Steam Daily Deal - Blackwake, 90% Off.
• Steam Daily Deal - Swords & Souls- Neverseen, 50% Off.

• Reposting our video on the Doom Eternal gameplay preview - VentureBeat. An odd exercise.
• Atomic Heart Reveals New, Extra-Weird Gameplay Teaser.
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid - V2.0 Update Trailer.

• Phil Spencer: "We see Amazon and Google as the main competitors" - GamesIndustry.biz.

• Will Wright returns to GDC this year with a talk you won't want to miss.
• Washington Post Live to host The Power of Play: Video Games and ESports.
• Gamers’ Union- How Philly’s MLS Team is Using Esports to Attract New Fans.
• Overwatch League Stats Lab gives fans access to all kinds of data.

• PlayStation to close Manchester VR studio.
• The Pursuit of Cheap Video Games Has Been Getting Switch Owners Banned.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Ring (2004.200203-0000).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Beta Ring (2002.200203-2000).

• Netflix Now Streaming AV1 on Android. Thanks Simon.
• U.S. Pushing Effort to Develop 5G Alternative to Huawei. Thanks Max.

• Vodafone will remove Huawei equipment from its European networks.
• Google Fiber kills TV service, focuses on broadband and YouTube TV.
• RIP FTP? File Transfer Protocol switched off by default in Chrome 80.
• Spotify hits 271 million monthly active users as growth continues. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Spotify Acquiring Ringer Podcast Network.
• Zynga Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financial Results.
• Wix upgrades website creation with Editor X feature.

• Windows 10 search bar bug frustrates users. Thanks RedEye9.
• MSI Reveals Optix MAG322CR- A 31.5-Inch Curved Monitor with a 180 Hz Refresh Rate.

• Disinformation 2020: FBI warns of ongoing Russian 'information warfare.'
• Flaws in WhatsApp’s desktop app allowed remote access to files.
• Sketchy behavior? Wacom tablet drivers phone home with names, times of every app opened on your computer.
• Oh ****... Sudo has a 'make anyone root' bug that needs to be patched – if you're unlucky enough to enable pwfeedback.
• Malicious warez hosted on Bitbucket get more than 500,000 downloads.

• Cheat software: Can publishers level the playing field?…

The long awaited sequel to the hit tactics game Door Kickers, Task Force North brings you the best portrayal of modern Close Quarters Combat and Tactics in a video game. Coming at you in Early Access circa Q2 2020.

Door Kickers 2 is a top down strategy and tactics game about using intelligence assets and controlling Special Operation Units in daring raids to neutralize and capture terrorists in the fictional country of Nowheraki, Middle East.

True to the violent and dynamic nature of combat in the region, the game models deadly threats and technologies such as booby traps, suicide bombers, RPGs and concealed insurgents - while handing you new toys such as Light Machine Guns for suppressive fire, drone reconnaissance, night vision goggles and wall breaching charges.

Adding further to the roster of improvements, you can now choose the unit to deploy for any mission. The United States Army Rangers make for the initial deployment option, but soon we will reveal other - distinct but equally cool units. The choice will not be simply one of skins and weapons, but also come with distinct playing style and abilities we will reveal further down development road.

Hellpoint is a dark and challenging action RPG set in a heavily atmospheric sci-fi universe where the line between science and occultism is blurred.

Once a pinnacle of human achievement, the Irid Novo space station has fallen. Its ruins are now overrun by cruel interdimensional entities acting as puppets of the malevolent Cosmic Gods.

You have been created by the Author, organically printed on Irid Novo and sent on a mission to find out the unholy series of events that led to the catastrophic incident known as the Merge.

Ever since the studio closed I've been wracking my brain what I could have done differently. Pivot HARD when the juggernaut of Overwatch was announced. Been less nice with my design ideas and more of a dictator with them.

One big epiphany I had was that I pushed my own personal political beliefs in a world that was increasingly divided.

Instead of the story being "this game looks neat" it became "this is the game with the 'woke bro' trying to push his hackey politics on us with gender neutral bathrooms." Instead of "these characters seem fun" it was "this is the studio with the CEO who refuses to make his female characters sexier." Instead of "who am I going to choose" it became "white dude shoehorns diversity in his game and then smells his own smug farts in interviews" instead of just letting the product ... speak for itself.

It's okay to be political when your company or studio is established for great product FIRST. But we were unproven and I regret doing it. (This will be quite the doozy of a chapter in the upcoming memoir.)

Milestone announces that Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 3, the latest release of the most beloved and realistic Supercross videogame, is now available on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Windows PC®/STEAM, Google Stadia and Nintendo Switch™.

After the great success with the previous games, Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 3 returns with a plethora of new features that will delight both hardcore and casual gamers:

As you already know, we plan to focus on technical improvements in our upcoming semi-regular game updates; first sound and then graphics. However, a small part of our map team is constantly working on improvements of the existing parts of our game worlds, to help improve the overall look and feel of some of the older areas of the games.

In update 1.37, the French cities of Metz, Reims, Strassbourg, and Dijon will receive a fresh lick of paint with a rehaul of its roads which have been given a new look. You will also notice that many of the older vegetation models have been replaced with newer models, along with some of the terrain materials which have been updated.

But that's not all! You will also find that some of the traffic signs have been switched with newer assets to accurately represent the area, along with one of the road intersections which has had its layout reworked (can you spot which one?)

What other surprises lie around the corner in future updates? You will just have to wait and see, but for now, we hope you will enjoy the refresh of these french cities and hope you will take the time to revisit these cities when 1.37 is ready.

• GOG.com Midweek Sale: Puzzle and Mystery games up to 90% off.

• Brawlhalla Happy Valhallentine's Day 2020! - Patch 3.56.
• Fortnite Battle Royale Update - What's New in v11.50.
• No Man's Sky Synthesis Patch 2.27.
• Rocket League Patch Notes v1.73.

• Esports Arena to Launch a Semi-Professional Gaming Series; Expands Gaming Arenas in Supercenters to Eighteen Locations.
• Improbable acquires the 'backend badasses' at multiplayer gaming service Zeuz.
• Apex Legends PC player becomes the first Season 4 Apex Predator.

• 7th Sector Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Cruz Brothers Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Classic Snake Adventures Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Zero Zero Zero Zero Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Monster Viator Is Now Available For Xbox One And Windows 10 (Xbox Play Anywhere).
• Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for Console- Final Fantasy XV, Wolfenstein- Youngblood, and Death Squared.
• Xbox Series X's mystery port could be for super-fast (and expensive) storage.

• Shared Rural Network talks derailed by access fee row.
• Disney+ takes on Netflix as 28 million subscribers sign up.
• Spotify: Users up 31% to 271 million in Q4 2019, podcasts convert free-to-paid subscribers.
• Microsoft’s failures to renew: Teams, Hotmail, and Hotmail.co.uk. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Gwyneth Paltrow calls Goop hate 'clickbait and bullsh*t.'

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X CPU Bench Show Its The HEDT King. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Intel lures tech talent in Israel by investing in smart buildings.
• AMD and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team Announce Multi-Year Partnership. Thanks Hypothermia.
• The $15 terabyte hard drive is coming.

• Ad-targeting should be made transparent, data ethics body says.
• Iowa's Caucus App Meltdown Is A Warning Sign For The 2020 Elections.
• Delete These Scammy Android Apps That Drove 382M Downloads.
• Your Philips Hue light bulbs can still be hacked — but there’s a patch for the worst.

• Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk DX - Christ Centered Gamer.

• AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Graphics Card Review – Techgage.
• AMD RX 5600 XT vs NVIDIA RTX 2060 Graphics Card (Super) Price-Performance! - Tech ARP.
• ASUS Prime X299 Edition 30 Motherboard Review - The FPS Review.
• Corsair Hydro X Custom Water Cooling Review, on a Ryzen 9 3950X - AnandTech.
• Dell’s 2019 XPS 13 DE Laptop - As close as we currently get to Linux-computing nirvana - Ars Technica.
• EVGA RTX 2060 KO Graphics Card - LanOC Reviews.
• Gamdias Kratos P1-750W Gold ATX Power Supply Review - TweakTown.
• Lenovo Yoga C740 14" Laptop Review - MobileTechReview. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GamingPRO Graphics Card review - Guru3D.
• Patriot Viper VPR100 NVMe SSD RGB 1TB Review — Modders-Inc.
• Toshiba KIOXIA RC500 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD Review - Nikk Tech.
• Zhiyun Weebill-S Camera Gimbal Review - TechPowerUp.

• Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC- Final Fantasy XV, Bleeding Edge Beta, and More…