Epic has announced an upcoming announcement showcase and sale on the Epic Games Store, starting on February 11. The event kicks off with a Twitch stream at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern / 7pm UK (that's 6am AEST on February 12) on the Epic Games Twitch Channel, and will include new game announcements, gameplay, and extended looks at upcoming games planned for launch on the Epic Games Store this year. Beginning three hours earlier the same day at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern / 4pm UK / (3am AEST on February 12) and lasting through the same time on February 25, Epic Games will also run its Spring Showcase Sale. The sale will include deals on a number of titles such as Star Wars: Squadrons, SnowRunner, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Hades. A preview of all the games that will go on sale during this time is available on the Epic Games Store now and appears to include over 180 games, though it isn't currently showing what the discounts on those titles will be. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/star-wars-squadrons-single-player-review"] Though Epic hasn't given any hints about what new announcements might be present at its stream on the 11th, it recently gave a statement to PC Gamer indicating that we should expect to specifically see a lot more Epic Games Store exclusives in the future. "We have more exclusives coming in the next two years than we have published to date," said a company representative to PC Gamer, in response to a report that the storefront's bevy of exclusives seemed to have quieted down of late. Exclusives have also been a major revenue driver for the storefront in the past, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a few new announcements along those lines at the showcase next week. It's also possible we might see glimpses of exclusives already announced for the store that aren't yet out -- which could include games such as The Wolf Among Us 2, Jett: The Far Shore, Darkest Dungeon 2, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, or upcoming titles from Ubisoft (which typically also launch on the Ubisoft Store) or Remedy. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The beautiful puzzle game known as Maquette, which stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel, will be released on PS5, PS4, and PC on March 2, 2021. Developed by Graceful Decay and published by Annapurna Interactive, Maquette is "set in a recursive world where players experience the life cycle of a relationship and solve spacial puzzles as the story unfolds." Howard and Gabel will play the romantic couple Kenzie and Michael, and are characters that will guide players through the game but won't be "explicitly seen on screen." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/08/maquette-cast-announce-trailer"] Speaking to THR, Howard talked about how there isn't a villain in this game, and that this story is more about two people who were together at one point in their lives and simply moved on, after having a huge impact on each other's lives. "This is about a relationship that ultimately doesn't work out," Howard said. "But it's not a tragedy in any way, shape or form. I think there's something really nuanced about that that I really appreciated." Kenzie is described by director Hanford Lemoore as a "San Francisco hipster." "It's an interesting archetype, the hipster, and there's this inherent sense of irony," Howard added. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/01/maquette-gameplay-walkthrough-trailer"] Lemoore also discussed how the idea of this game came about while exploring the architecture of his neighborhood in San Francisco about 10 years ago. "Something set me off about trying to do [a game] in 3D with physics," Lemoore explained. "I thought about how physics is so chaotic; with a physics simulation you can knock an object and you know it's going to tumble, but you don't know how it's going to tumble. I thought about the idea of copying that really complex, almost random behavior, onto multiple levels of recursion." As to why Howard chose to join the project, she described Annapurna Interactive's games as "real art," and is always drawn towards choose your own adventure opportunities. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/maquette-reveal-trailer"] "I was always drawn to choose your own adventure opportunities. The opportunity to be active in the storytelling and have your own ability to have an impact on the eventual outcome — as a reader — was what I was drawn to." Howard concluded. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The beautiful puzzle game known as Maquette, which stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Seth Gabel, will be released on PS5, PS4, and PC on March 2, 2021. Developed by Graceful Decay and published by Annapurna Interactive, Maquette is "set in a recursive world where players experience the life cycle of a relationship and solve spacial puzzles as the story unfolds." Howard and Gabel will play the romantic couple Kenzie and Michael, and are characters that will guide players through the game but won't be "explicitly seen on screen." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/08/maquette-cast-announce-trailer"] Speaking to THR, Howard talked about how there isn't a villain in this game, and that this story is more about two people who were together at one point in their lives and simply moved on, after having a huge impact on each other's lives. "This is about a relationship that ultimately doesn't work out," Howard said. "But it's not a tragedy in any way, shape or form. I think there's something really nuanced about that that I really appreciated." Kenzie is described by director Hanford Lemoore as a "San Francisco hipster." "It's an interesting archetype, the hipster, and there's this inherent sense of irony," Howard added. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/01/maquette-gameplay-walkthrough-trailer"] Lemoore also discussed how the idea of this game came about while exploring the architecture of his neighborhood in San Francisco about 10 years ago. "Something set me off about trying to do [a game] in 3D with physics," Lemoore explained. "I thought about how physics is so chaotic; with a physics simulation you can knock an object and you know it's going to tumble, but you don't know how it's going to tumble. I thought about the idea of copying that really complex, almost random behavior, onto multiple levels of recursion." As to why Howard chose to join the project, she described Annapurna Interactive's games as "real art," and is always drawn towards choose your own adventure opportunities. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/maquette-reveal-trailer"] "I was always drawn to choose your own adventure opportunities. The opportunity to be active in the storytelling and have your own ability to have an impact on the eventual outcome — as a reader — was what I was drawn to." Howard concluded. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Steam has once again broken its own concurrent players record, with over 26 million people logged in at once. As reported by PC Gamer, Valve's digital distribution service hit an all-time high over the weekend, managing 26.4 million users logged in at once on Sunday. It only set the previous record last month, with 25.4 million people online at one time. The rise is no doubt propelled by ongoing lockdown measures across the world pushing more people into gaming at home. Stalwart Steam games like Counter-Strike, Dota and PUBG are consistently driving the platform's numbers forward, but this recent push has been no doubt aided by the Chinese RPG Tale of Immortal which launched in late January and is sat in fourth position in the service's top 10. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-modern-pc-games-summer-2020-update&captions=true"] Contemporary success stories like Rust, Valheim, Among Us and Phasmophobia have also certainly had a part to play in boosting Steam's numbers. Valheim in particular was last week's top seller, cracking 130 thousand concurrent players in less than a week. The growth has been pretty phenomenal since March of 2020, when Steam's concurrent record was hovering around the 20 million mark. Compare that to December 2020, when it smashed through to 24 million concurrent users with the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. At the same time, Steam broke a separate record as more than 1 million players flooded onto Cyberpunk within hours of its launch, doubling Fallout 4's 2015 record of nearly 500 thousand users. Our news article from 2013 as Steam broke 7 million concurrent users makes for quite the humble comparison now. It bodes well for Valve that Steam has finally officially launched in China – although that's not been the smoothest process, and may continue to be tough for Chinese players after concerns about lost games arose. In other Steam news, the service was recently fined by the European Union for alleged Geo-blocking. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Steam has once again broken its own concurrent players record, with over 26 million people logged in at once. As reported by PC Gamer, Valve's digital distribution service hit an all-time high over the weekend, managing 26.4 million users logged in at once on Sunday. It only set the previous record last month, with 25.4 million people online at one time. The rise is no doubt propelled by ongoing lockdown measures across the world pushing more people into gaming at home. Stalwart Steam games like Counter-Strike, Dota and PUBG are consistently driving the platform's numbers forward, but this recent push has been no doubt aided by the Chinese RPG Tale of Immortal which launched in late January and is sat in fourth position in the service's top 10. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-modern-pc-games-summer-2020-update&captions=true"] Contemporary success stories like Rust, Valheim, Among Us and Phasmophobia have also certainly had a part to play in boosting Steam's numbers. Valheim in particular was last week's top seller, cracking 130 thousand concurrent players in less than a week. The growth has been pretty phenomenal since March of 2020, when Steam's concurrent record was hovering around the 20 million mark. Compare that to December 2020, when it smashed through to 24 million concurrent users with the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. At the same time, Steam broke a separate record as more than 1 million players flooded onto Cyberpunk within hours of its launch, doubling Fallout 4's 2015 record of nearly 500 thousand users. Our news article from 2013 as Steam broke 7 million concurrent users makes for quite the humble comparison now. It bodes well for Valve that Steam has finally officially launched in China – although that's not been the smoothest process, and may continue to be tough for Chinese players after concerns about lost games arose. In other Steam news, the service was recently fined by the European Union for alleged Geo-blocking. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Update 2/19/2021: Coffee Stain Publishing and Iron Gate Studio have announced Valheim has hit more than three million copies sold during only 16 days on Steam Early Access. And its peak concurrent player count also surpassed its last record, with the game having reached over 390,000 concurrent players. The developers recently revealed Valheim's Early Access roadmap, and IGN's Valheim Early Access review called it "definitely a traditional survival game at heart, which means the further in you get, the more you have to put up with some tedious grinding before you can get back to the good parts. But even at its early access launch, those good parts are already very good, especially when you get to take to the seas or test your skill against its imposing bosses." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 02/15/2021: Developer Iron Gate has confirmed that, in just 13 days, Valheim has been purchased by over two million players. Iron Gate announced the news on Steam, also confirming that the game reached a new peak concurrent player milestone of 360,000. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 02/10/2021: Valheim's successful launch continues unabated, with the survival game passing 1 million copies sold in just 8 days. The game has continued to sit at the top of Steam's Top Seller list, and passed 160,000 concurrent players, making it the fourth most-played game on Steam at the time. Developer Iron Gate also says the game passed a peak of 127,000 viewers on Twitch, and has seen over 11,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. With the game only in Early Access, there's a long way still to go, and potentially more success to be had. Iron Gate has published a Roadmap, promising Hearth & Home Improvements, Saga-Worthy Seas & Even More Ships, a Voyage to the Mistlands, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Iron Gate AB's Viking survival game Valheim has taken over Steam and Twitch after launching into Early Access just last week. Valheim drops players into a procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology where they must craft, build, sail and fight to survive, with PvE co-op available for up to 10 players. It's only available on PC via Steam at present. The game is currently sitting at the top of Steam's Top Seller list (measured on total revenue, rather than number of sales), where it rose throughout last week, beating out games like Nioh 2 and Football Manager 2021. With an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam, it's clearly going down well with those who've bought it too, and the player stats only further confirm its popularity. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/13/valheim-guerrilla-collective-trailer"] Recording over 130,000 concurrent players at its peak, Valheim is also quickly rising up the Steam player count rankings. At time of writing, the game is sitting comfortably in the Top 10 games on Steam, just below Rust and Rainbow Six: Siege, and currently has more players than some Steam stalwarts such as Rocket League, Path of Exile, Civilization VI and Warframe. Over on Twitch, the game is also seeing a lot of mainstream success with streamers, appearing in the top categories. Esports Charts lists the game at around 31,000 average viewers since release, with a peak at 81,392 – you can likely expect that to keep growing at the current momentum. For more on Valheim, check out our Valheim Wiki guide that covers plenty you need to know, including some tips and tricks for getting started. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Update 3/3/2021: It shouldn't feel inevitable that an Early Access survival game will pass another million copies sold within the space of a week but, in the case of Valheim, it just does now. The game has now sold 5 million copies in four weeks on sale. Coffee Stain added that it's now been played for a combined 15,000 years, is the 39th best-reviewed game on Steam, and has been watched for 35 million hours on Steam. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 2/24/2021: The incredible rise of Valheim continues, with the game now having passed 4 million copies sold through Steam Early Access after just 21 days on sale. It follows the game becoming Steam's 5th most-played game ever by peak player count, attracting over 500,000 concurrent players. Coffee Stain Publishing added that the game is now Steam's 57th best-reviewed game, and has been played for a combined total of 10,000 years in the time since launch. On Twitch, the game has been watched by 188,000 concurrent viewers ate its peak, with 28 million hours watched in total. “I don't think I have really had time to contemplate it," said developer Iron Gate's CEO, Richard Svensson. "I know that players like the game a lot, but at the same time I think that I can make something even better in the future. I'm looking forward to adding more content to the game, especially working on the remaining biomes. Our current roadmap only reaches the next biome and we hope to have it done by the end of the year, but it might very well take longer depending on how smooth the development will be. I really don't want to stress the development, that never ends well." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 2/19/2021: Coffee Stain Publishing and Iron Gate Studio have announced Valheim has hit more than three million copies sold during only 16 days on Steam Early Access. And its peak concurrent player count also surpassed its last record, with the game having reached over 390,000 concurrent players. The developers recently revealed Valheim's Early Access roadmap, and IGN's Valheim Early Access review called it "definitely a traditional survival game at heart, which means the further in you get, the more you have to put up with some tedious grinding before you can get back to the good parts. But even at its early access launch, those good parts are already very good, especially when you get to take to the seas or test your skill against its imposing bosses." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 02/15/2021: Developer Iron Gate has confirmed that, in just 13 days, Valheim has been purchased by over two million players. Iron Gate announced the news on Steam, also confirming that the game reached a new peak concurrent player milestone of 360,000. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 02/10/2021: Valheim's successful launch continues unabated, with the survival game passing 1 million copies sold in just 8 days. The game has continued to sit at the top of Steam's Top Seller list, and passed 160,000 concurrent players, making it the fourth most-played game on Steam at the time. Developer Iron Gate also says the game passed a peak of 127,000 viewers on Twitch, and has seen over 11,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. With the game only in Early Access, there's a long way still to go, and potentially more success to be had. Iron Gate has published a Roadmap, promising Hearth & Home Improvements, Saga-Worthy Seas & Even More Ships, a Voyage to the Mistlands, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Iron Gate AB's Viking survival game Valheim has taken over Steam and Twitch after launching into Early Access just last week. Valheim drops players into a procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology where they must craft, build, sail and fight to survive, with PvE co-op available for up to 10 players. It's only available on PC via Steam at present. The game is currently sitting at the top of Steam's Top Seller list (measured on total revenue, rather than number of sales), where it rose throughout last week, beating out games like Nioh 2 and Football Manager 2021. With an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam, it's clearly going down well with those who've bought it too, and the player stats only further confirm its popularity. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/13/valheim-guerrilla-collective-trailer"] Recording over 130,000 concurrent players at its peak, Valheim is also quickly rising up the Steam player count rankings. At time of writing, the game is sitting comfortably in the Top 10 games on Steam, just below Rust and Rainbow Six: Siege, and currently has more players than some Steam stalwarts such as Rocket League, Path of Exile, Civilization VI and Warframe. Over on Twitch, the game is also seeing a lot of mainstream success with streamers, appearing in the top categories. Esports Charts lists the game at around 31,000 average viewers since release, with a peak at 81,392 – you can likely expect that to keep growing at the current momentum. For more on Valheim, check out our Valheim Wiki guide that covers plenty you need to know, including some tips and tricks for getting started. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Politicians are stepping up plans to ask the UK government to consider a console scalping ban (or introducing other protective legislation) to prevent the high levels of reselling seen for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. In late 2020, a group of UK MPs tabled an Early Day Motion to discuss the banning of scalping, and the use of automated bots for "gaming consoles and computer components". The motion, led by Douglas Chapman MP, has now garnered 32 signatures from MPs across multiple parties. In a statement to IGN, Chapman indicated that he now intends to take the issue further: "Given that experts in the cyber industry now predict the issue of scalping to grow across other important goods and services this year, we are looking at presenting a Bill in Parliament so that we can further explore legislative options to protect consumers from this unfair practice." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-scalpers-used-a-loophole-to-buy-stock-before-it-was-live-in-the-uk-ign-news"] Early Day Motions are regularly used to highlight current issues, but rarely reach a true House of Commons debate. Presenting a Bill, as Chapman is now considering, would be considered an escalation of the process, and an attempt to put pressure on the government to consider formal legislation. Asked why Chapman began this process, he explained that the impetus to begin the debate in parliament came directly from his constituents in Dunfermline and West Fife: “The issue of scalping first came up with constituents contacting me to explain their frustration about being unable to get hold of certain games consoles or computer components pre-Christmas. On investigation we uncovered more details of the unscrupulous practice of ‘scalping’ by automated bots to bulk buy these goods and sell them on at inflated prices." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/14/opinion-scalpers-selling-2000-ps5-consoles-suck"] The issue of scalping has reached new levels of recognition after the release of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, as well as new graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD. In the US, at least 10% of PS5s are estimated to have been resold, averaging around double the recommended retailer price on eBay. Part-and-parcel of that phenomenon has been the use of bots to secure units before regular consumers can do so, a tactic popularised by sneaker culture. The UK has seen huge demand for new-gen consoles, and scalping has become a recurring story amid that demand. Scalping chains have been claiming large numbers of consoles, even using loopholes to buy stock before it's officially available. Alongside supply shortages, it's a trend that's led to repeated disappointment for normal consumers, and even potentially spurred criminal activity. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Update 02/09/2021: Douglas Chapman MP has now formally brought forward a Bill to ban gaming hardware scalping in the UK. Titled the Gaming Hardware (Automated Purchase and Resale) Bill 2019-21, (as reported by Sky News), it aims to apply similar restrictions on console reselling to those insituted for ticket touting in the UK. Speaking to Sky News about the Bill's similarity to the previous ticket touting law, Chapman said, "We've proposed that a similar legislative process be brought forward to ensure that consumers can purchase gaming consoles and computer components at no more than the manufacturers' recommended price, and that resale of goods purchased by automated bots be made illegal." Chapman acknowledged that the Bill is unlikely to pass – MPs outside the ruling government party rarely see their Bills become law – but was using it as an action to force the government to "take responsibility" for the ongoing issue. Private Members' Bills such as this have previously affected legislation indirectly, which will be Chapman's hope. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Politicians are stepping up plans to ask the UK government to consider a console scalping ban (or introducing other protective legislation) to prevent the high levels of reselling seen for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. In late 2020, a group of UK MPs tabled an Early Day Motion to discuss the banning of scalping, and the use of automated bots for "gaming consoles and computer components". The motion, led by Douglas Chapman MP, has now garnered 32 signatures from MPs across multiple parties. In a statement to IGN, Chapman indicated that he now intends to take the issue further: "Given that experts in the cyber industry now predict the issue of scalping to grow across other important goods and services this year, we are looking at presenting a Bill in Parliament so that we can further explore legislative options to protect consumers from this unfair practice." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-scalpers-used-a-loophole-to-buy-stock-before-it-was-live-in-the-uk-ign-news"] Early Day Motions are regularly used to highlight current issues, but rarely reach a true House of Commons debate. Presenting a Bill, as Chapman is now considering, would be considered an escalation of the process, and an attempt to put pressure on the government to consider formal legislation. Asked why Chapman began this process, he explained that the impetus to begin the debate in parliament came directly from his constituents in Dunfermline and West Fife: “The issue of scalping first came up with constituents contacting me to explain their frustration about being unable to get hold of certain games consoles or computer components pre-Christmas. On investigation we uncovered more details of the unscrupulous practice of ‘scalping’ by automated bots to bulk buy these goods and sell them on at inflated prices." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/14/opinion-scalpers-selling-2000-ps5-consoles-suck"] The issue of scalping has reached new levels of recognition after the release of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, as well as new graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD. In the US, at least 10% of PS5s are estimated to have been resold, averaging around double the recommended retailer price on eBay. Part-and-parcel of that phenomenon has been the use of bots to secure units before regular consumers can do so, a tactic popularised by sneaker culture. The UK has seen huge demand for new-gen consoles, and scalping has become a recurring story amid that demand. Scalping chains have been claiming large numbers of consoles, even using loopholes to buy stock before it's officially available. Alongside supply shortages, it's a trend that's led to repeated disappointment for normal consumers, and even potentially spurred criminal activity. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

A new Halo game is seemingly in the works, if a recent Microsoft job listing is anything to go by. The producer job posting, which has been advertised on the Microsoft careers website since February 6, reveals that Halo series developer 343 Industries is working on a new entry in the Halo franchise. The listing states that 343i is looking to hire a producer "to help develop a new project in the Halo universe", which presumably signals that the new employee would not be working on Halo Infinite. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/halo-infinite-9-minutes-of-campaign-gameplay"] The job listing specifically asks for experience in shipping AAA games for the current generation, which all but rules out the idea that this Halo project would come in any form other than a game. However, the listing offers no clues about the content of the game, or when it might arrive. While there's no confirmed information on the new project, a recent rumour could point to a potential direction. Per a VG24/7 article in November 2020, a now-deleted post on Twitter suggested that two other games – Halo Wars 3, and a spin-off following Halo 5's Fireteam Osiris – were being planned by 343i. Whatever project 343i's new producer will be working on, it's hoped that the unannounced title will have a smoother development process than the next entry in the series. Halo Infinite has suffered numerous setbacks since its initial July 2020 reveal, with criticism of its graphics causing 343i to postpone its launch until fall 2021. and director Chris Lee departing the project in October 2020. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20068184&captions=true"] In more recent Halo Infinite news, 343i promised to provide in-depth monthly updates on its development, with the first instalment explaining how Halo Infinite will have a restructured, fully customizable control scheme and how the FPS title is being optimized for PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a freelance journalist who can't wait for Halo Infinite to drop. Follow him on Twitter.