AMD has unveiled its RX 9000 Series graphics cards, the RX 997 and RX 970 XD, priced at $549 and $599, respectively, promising significant performance improvements and wide availability to compete with NVIDIA’s offerings. In other news, Warner Brothers has closed three game studios due to recent commercial failures, while Valve has updated “Deadlock” and hints of a potential “Half-Life 3” release are surfacing.
In this week’s gaming news recap, AMD has announced pricing, availability, and specifications for their upcoming RX 9000 Series graphics cards, specifically the RX 997 and RX 970 XD, which will launch in the second quarter for $549 and $599, respectively. While these prices are higher than the anticipated sub-$500 budget range, they are still significantly lower than NVIDIA’s current offerings. AMD has also promised wide availability, having prepared shipments to retailers in advance, which could help alleviate the supply issues that have plagued NVIDIA’s GPUs and driven prices up.
The new AMD GPUs are expected to compete directly with NVIDIA’s RTX 570 and 570 TI, boasting a 20 to 24% performance improvement over AMD’s previous generation. They will support AMD’s FSR resolution upscaling and frame generation technology, enhancing image quality. Additionally, the new cards will feature an improved media engine capable of handling 8K video encoding at high frame rates, which, while not a primary focus for gamers, will benefit content creators. AMD has also expanded its ray tracing hardware, promising better performance in games that utilize this technology.
In a significant industry shakeup, Warner Brothers has closed three major game studios, including Player First Games and Monolith Productions, as part of a strategic shift. Monolith is known for its influential titles, such as the “Fear” series and the “Shadow of Mordor” games. The closure follows the commercial failures of titles like “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” and “Multiversus,” both of which were intended as major live-service games but failed to meet expectations, leading to significant financial losses for the company.
Valve has made headlines with a substantial update for “Deadlock,” their hybrid MOBA hero shooter currently in limited release. The update has revamped the game’s map and introduced numerous balance changes and quality-of-life improvements. Additionally, there are rumors that “Half-Life 3” may be nearing completion, with data mining suggesting that Valve is optimizing the game and implementing advanced AI systems, though no official announcements have been made yet.
In other news, “Monster Hunter Wilds” has achieved over a million concurrent players despite mixed reviews, although players report performance issues. Meanwhile, a significant number of French voice actors for “Apex Legends” have quit over concerns regarding AI training on their performances. Lastly, the rebranded studio 4A Games has announced a new title, “Laima,” while “Splitgate 2” has launched its open alpha, receiving positive feedback for its evolution of the original game’s formula.