Starbreeze report strong Q2 financials from Payday 2, "very rare" in the industry

Developer Starbreeze Studios is super chuffed with their latest fiscal report for Q2, with heist shooter Payday 2 performing better in sales than last year's Q2.

They're "very proud" of this "very rare" occurrence within the games industry, and the company is "getting close to the opening" of their new Los Angeles office, which will host the Geminose team.

Ubisoft: "...more robust modern day" in future Assassin's Creed games

There'll be more of a return to the 'modern day' setting in Assassin's Creed moving forward, says Ubisoft. Assassin's Creed: Unity only had brief moments through cutscenes where we weren't assuming the role of an ancestral assassin.

Lead writer Darby McDevitt pointed to Assassin's Creed 2 and the town of Monteriggioni, which was playable in both past and present, and so they plan to "smartly reuse things" for a modern experience.

Square Enix confirms Life is Strange Episode 2 delayed [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The official twitter for Life is Strange has dismissed talk of delay saying "development is on track" and that the next episode will be released "before the end of March."

Original story follows

It's hella bad news. Dontnod Entertainment's hella excellent time-rewinding adventure Life is Strange won't be releasing its second episode as planned in mid-March. Square Enix has announced it has been pushed back.

When will it be releasing now? They aren't saying. We had been told that each episode would be about a month and a half apart, and fans have been left wanting more. There have also been story leaks.

GameWatcher takes on Jagex in a Block N Load showdown for the ages

Next Monday Team GameWatcher takes on Team Jagex in a Block N Load Battle Royale which you can watch live on our Twitch stream. Can our squad of plucky underdogs defeat the much fancied developers of the block-building FPS?

Right now we're at around the halfway stage of our training montage. I'm running up and down steps, punching frozen pig carcasses, and screaming "JAGEX!" from the top of a mountain, while my fellow GameWatchers have been put on a strict low-carb, high protein diet. They've naturally been informed that they face SEVERE repercussions if we lose.

Visceral Games promises that Battlefield: Hardline will be stable at launch

Mike Glosecki is the gameplay systems producer for Battlefield Hardline, and apparently he believes that the PC is “by far the best gaming platform around.” In a new post on the game's website, he explains Visceral's vision for the PC version of the shooter.

You might already have sussed this out, but the developer and EA are trying to convince everyone that Hardline won't have a launch as comically awful as Battlefield 4's was.

Far Cry 4's abominable Valley of the Yetis DLC drops on March 10

Far Cry 4 gets some abominable snowmen later this March. To be honest, part of me kind of wants to end this news post right there. That's really all you need to know.

Okay then, some more info. Valley of the Yetis drops hero Ajay Ghale in the middle of a lost valley inhabited by some crazy cultists and their Yeti overlords. Commence the violence.

Data-miners dig up Hearthstone patch info that suggests a possible Blackrock Mountain expansion

Those dastardly data-miners have been at it again - Hearthstone fan sites are buzzing with the news that information taken from a patch that appeared on the Blizzard servers yesterday hints at a new expansion for the strategic card game.

Some quick data-mining revealed hidden references to a new adventure focusing on World of Warcraft's iconic Blackrock Mountain region, including Molten Core, Ragnaros, and Golden Celebration card backs.