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Larian Studios has announced that a new Baldur’s Gate 3 patch will allow for moderation of the game's features.
Announced in a detailed Steam Community Update post titled "Evil Endings, New Beginnings," Patch 7 for Baldur's Gate 3 could change the game substantially.
Baldur's Gate 3 new Patch
As we reported late last month, Larian will not be involved in any sequel or DLC to the acclaimed fantasy title and will turn their sights onto something bigger.
Sven Wicke, the CEO of Larian, told GameSpot that the studio’s involvement in any other adventure in Faerûn would be "literally the opposite of what Larian is about. We want to do big, new things. We don't want to rehash the thing that we've done already."
Patch 7 might change the fate of the title, as the community moderation and development teams eagerly anticipate the chance to change the game's key elements. Through this opportunity, there could be a swathe of non-official Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) content that the heavily invested and caring community has curated.
This parting gift to moderators and developers would also leave some lasting control in the hands of the community, who are disappointed at Larian's decision, but could continue their great work.
Many acclaimed titles, such as Fallout, Skyrim, and, as we reported today, Starfield, have survived thanks to the care and nurture of developers and active communities.
Larian said "In this case (about leaving BG3), after six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and rumination, we've decided to seize this opportunity to develop our own IPs (intellectual properties). We're currently working on two new projects and we couldn't be more excited about what the future has in store."
The post on Steam said, "This next patch will also begin introducing our official modding tools, letting you change up visuals, animations, sounds, stats, and more to overhaul Baldur's Gate 3 into the weird nightmare realm of your dreams."
Larian will also invite community members to a closed BETA to playtest the Patch 7 changes, but this will only be a "select number of players" according to the studio.
The BAFTA and Game of the Year Award-winning studio will still be hard at work to bring crossplay and a photo mode to the fantasy lands, but this will be something "down the road."
This will be the final patch from Larian that addresses story content, with the addition of new endings for the Dark Urge (no spoilers here), Jaheira's "unwillingness to follow the group and jump into combat, and Wyll's less-than-romantic greetings."
Larian left readers of the Steam post on a positive note and reassured fans of the series and the studio with an excited final note from CEO Wicke:
"I don't know if we're going to pull it off, but looking at our narrative, visual and gameplay plans, I think what we're working on now will be our best work ever. I get excited like a kid watching the key imagery, want to show it to everyone now and grumble in frustration at having to wait until it's actually all working. Yes, it's hype but it's hype because it really looks and feels good."
Image: Larian.
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Indie games had quite the moment this week with announcements for both Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass. New games, like SteamWorld Heist 2, are on the way, as known quantities like Harold Halibut are being served to subscribers of the Game Pass buffet.
The newest indie games coming to consoles
Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City allows gamers to adopt the role of a city-exploring petite black cat. The chaos that ensues is reminiscent of Untitled Goose game, developed by House House.
The small feline must find its way home in a sprawling city, but side quests, of course, abound in this much-anticipated title. Developed and published by Double Dagger Studio, the port comes to Switch and Xbox Series X/S on May 9.
SteamWorld Heist 2
SteamWorld Heist 2 comes later in the year on Aug. 8. Fans of the series have been clamoring for more information on the turn-based successor to Steam World Heist (2015), which takes its theme from the indie classic Steam World Dig (2013). SteamWorld Heist 2 is out on all platforms on August 8.
Cat Quest 3
In a weird combination of the above themes, Cat Quest 3 takes on the high seas in a paws and pirate adventure that asks players to "Sail the Purribean." The cute cat captain game plunders its way onto PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Steam on Aug. 8.
Another Crab's Treasure
Another Crab's Treasure was the last big indie game announced during the Switch live stream. Game Pass subscribers will also get this souls-like hermit crab quest on day one, April 25.
Xbox Game Pass April lineup announced
Top games for the April Game Pass include EA Sports’ NHL 24, Orcs Must Die! 3 and Manor Lords for PC gamers.
NHL 24 is available through EA Play’s partnership with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, meaning subscribers will have to belong to the highest tier of service to get on the ice in time for the Stanley Cup.
Robot Entertainment’s Orcs Must Die! 3 has an established following and the tower defense titles are available immediately for subscribers.
Manor Lords players need to wait until April 26 for Early Access on PC for the strategic medieval title. This game is one of the most eagerly awaited of 2024 and its challenging tactical and real-time-strategy (RTS) elements will be a test for seasoned fans of the genre.
The full list of Game Pass Games in April
Available now:
- Harold Halibut (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Populous: The Beginning (PC via EA Play)
- Sid Meir’s Alpha Centauri (PC via EA Play)
- Sim City 3000 Unlimited (PC via EA Play)
- Orcs Must Die! 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- EA Sports NHL 24 (Console via EA Play)
Coming later in April:
- Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 23
- Another Crab’s Treasure (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 25
- Manor Lords (Game Preview) (PC) – April 26
- Have a Nice Death (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 30
These titles add to the already strong start to the month with Game Pass’ additions of LEGO 2K Drive and Tomb Raider Definitive Edition.
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Binance Holdings Ltd., the world’s largest digital asset exchange, has obtained a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in Dubai after co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao agreed to give up his voting control in the local entity, according to people familiar with the matter not identified in the Bloomberg report.
This long-awaited license is a significant win for Binance, which has faced a series of regulatory challenges over the past two years. The exchange was forced to pay $4.3 billion in penalties to U.S. authorities in November, and as part of the deal, Zhao was required to step down as CEO.
The VASP license allows Binance to offer a broader range of services to customers in the emirate, including retail cryptocurrency trading. Prior to this, Binance’s local unit, Binance FZE, had held “Operational MVP” licenses for broker-dealer and exchange services since mid-2023.
One of the final conditions set by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) before granting the full VASP license was for Zhao to relinquish his voting control of Binance FZE. Officials wanted to ensure that the Dubai operations would align with the agreement Binance reached with U.S. authorities, under which Zhao was forced to resign as CEO.
Changpeng Zhao loses control
After resolving the issue of Zhao’s voting control, Binance and VARA conducted a comprehensive review of the products the exchange plans to offer in Dubai. The billionaire Zhao remains the ultimate beneficial owner of Binance FZE’s Abu Dhabi-based parent company, according to the people familiar with the matter.
The VASP license comes as Binance’s smaller competitors, such as OKX and Crypto.com, have already obtained the coveted status, allowing them to serve a broader customer base in Dubai.
Binance’s new CEO, Richard Teng, has vowed to improve the company’s compliance and relations with regulators worldwide. In the past year, several countries, including India and Belgium, have taken steps to prevent Binance from operating locally without the necessary approvals.
Teng has stated that Binance, which does not have a formal headquarters, is in discussions with various jurisdictions about potentially serving as a global base for the company.
The report follows a Binance executive and another company official being detained in Nigeria in mid-March. The company subsequently requested the release of the company officials earlier this month.
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Cryptocurrency miners are stockpiling near-record amounts of Bitcoin, hoping the token will rise in value and offset a drop in new supply that will cut the rewards for verifying transactions in half, according to a recent Financial Times report.
Major listed miners like Marathon Digital, CleanSpark, and Bitfarms have collectively hoarded Bitcoin worth around $2.8 billion, according to data from The Miner Mag. This comes just days before the reward for mining is cut in half.
After the change, which is set to take place on Friday, global miners will only receive 450 BTC daily (3.125 BTC per block) for verifying the latest transactions, down from the current 900. This quadrennial adjustment was built into the creation of cryptocurrency as a way to hedge against inflation.
Hedge funds have been betting against listed crypto miners, anticipating that the halving will likely hurt their profitability. As a result, their share prices have fallen this year.
The industry spends heavily on energy and technology to compete for new Bitcoin, and less efficient miners are expected to be pushed out of the market as production costs rise. Larisa Yarovaya, associate professor of finance at the University of Southampton commented:
Mining companies are playing a constant game of chicken with each other. […] It’s a business model that’s based more than ever on faith that bitcoin’s price will go up and demand for it will grow.
To offset the decline in mining rewards, crypto executives and traders are betting that Bitcoin, which hit a record high last month, will continue to rise in value this year, following a trend established after previous “halvings.”
Miners are currently holding 46,200 BTC in reserve, the highest recorded level since May 2022, when a market-wide crash forced them to sell their holdings, according to The Miner Mag.
Major US-based miners have significantly increased their Bitcoin hoards. CleanSpark held over 5,000 BTC at the end of March, a 2,400% increase from the same period a year earlier. Marathon Digital has grown its holdings by 50% to 17,300 BTC, while Bitfarms and Riot have increased their holdings by 50% and 20%, respectively. Matthew Schultz, executive chair at mining firm CleanSpark said:
Everyone is hopeful Bitcoin will go up in value and that will solve rewards being cut in half.
This optimism has been fueled by Bitcoin’s 121% rise in the past six months, as US regulators approved stock market funds that invest directly in the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin surged to a record high of $73,800 in mid-March but has since dropped more than 14% to below $60,000. Asher Genoot, chief executive of US miner Hut 8:
Bitcoin is going to be worth more in the future than it is today.
Bitcoin miners are optimisitic
Miners have struggled with profitability after a debt-fueled expansion during the 2021 crypto bull market was curtailed by a crash. However, as the latest halving approached, they spent over $1 billion on new equipment to gain market share and squeeze out competitors.
Despite the miners’ optimism, hedge fund short sellers continue to maintain sizeable bets against a number of them. About 24% of Marathon’s shares are out on loan, indicating strong short interest, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Short interest in Hut 8 has risen this year from less than 10% to over 14%, while bets against Riot Platforms have dipped slightly but remain above 19%.
Miners are also hoping that increased activity on the Bitcoin network, such as the trading of non-fungible tokens, will boost their transaction fee revenue. However, experts caution that it is too early to tell whether this will be sufficient to keep mining activity economically viable in the long run.
The report follows an early Bitcoin miner moving 50 Satoshi-era BTC in a widely covered transaction. The Bitcoin mining industry was also in the spotlight in mid-March, when President Joe Biden's proposed 30% tax on crypto mining power faced criticism for potentially harming the industry and erasing investor wealth.
Featured image: Ideogram
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Cities Skylines 2 apology department has been called into action again as the floundering city sim, the sequel to one of the best city sims of all time, continues to disappoint at every turn. Fans of the game are getting resigned to the fact that developer Colossal Order is really struggling with this one and that after problem after problem, the ill-advised and over-priced DLC Beach Properties has now been transformed into a free add-on with refunds available for those who purchased it originally.
Roundly panned as "a disgrace" when it was first released the Beach Properties DLC included a new Waterfront zone, and some other unremarkable assets like, er trees. However, there was no beach. Go figure.
Part of the problem lies in that players want Colossal Order to fix the game they bought, not release pointless asset packs. Obviously, shareholders and profit margins might not agree but to their credit, refunds have been introduced and all work on future paid DLC postponed indefinitely according to a report in Eurogamer.
“We let you down”
A joint statement from Paradox and Colossal Order reads: "We see and understand the disappointment. We asked for your patience and support, and you’ve shown those,” the statement reads. “In return, we let you down. We thought we could make up for the shortcomings of the game in a timeframe that was unrealistic, and rushed out a DLC that should not have been published in its current form. For all this, we are truly sorry."
On the Forum a post explaining the refund reads: "We see and understand the disappointment many have expressed after the release of Beach Properties and agree that this DLC felt rushed and should not have been published in the state that it was.
We have therefore decided to make the asset pack a free addition to the game, compensate those who bought it to the extent possible, and provide additional content within the Ultimate Edition in an effort to repay the loyalty we’ve seen in the community since the release of Cities: Skylines II.
Cities Skylines 2 needs a breakthrough quickly and with the pedigree behind it, hopes are still high.
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