Welcome back to This week in gaming! Jagex dominated the headlines with a brand-new RuneScape MMO, though not everything at RuneFest went to plan. Elsewhere, The Witcher 3 is enjoying a remarkable second wind, Ace Combat 8 has taken off on Steam, and AI continues to stir debate across the industry. Here's what you need to know.
RuneFest's big reveals and a backlash
Jagex officially unveiled RuneScape 4, a new MMO built in Unreal Engine that reportedly began life as a planned expansion for Dragonwilds. The name is only a placeholder, and the game is still a long way from release. Rock Paper Shotgun
Closer to hand is RuneScape Reignited, launching on 2nd December. It offers new, lapsed and long-time players a clean-slate way to play RS3. Eurogamer Not everyone is sold, though, with some existing players worried it could split the community. PC Gamer
The mood soured when a RuneFest trailer for RuneScape 3's Dragon Slayer 2 quest was found to use generative AI. Eurogamer Jagex has responded, saying the trailer was made by a "trusted external partner". GamesIndustry.biz
Releases, records and reviews
The Witcher 3 has recorded another Steam personal best, with sales surging as returning and new players pick up the Remastered upgrade. Eurogamer Nintendo Life calls the Switch 2 version a huge upgrade that improves on the original Switch port's visual compromises. Nintendo Life
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launched on 2nd October after three days of early access and is by far the series' biggest launch on Steam. Eurogamer
Kingdom Hearts fans on Switch 2 should clear some space: the Kingdom Hearts Collection arrives in October as a native release rather than a cloud version, but needs over 130GB to install in full. Nintendo Life
In the UK charts, Minecraft Dungeons II debuted at number 2 behind EA Sports FC 27, while Metroid Prime 4: Beyond climbed back into the top 10. Nintendo Life Nintendo Life's review finds the sequel fun but flawed, with co-op the standout. Nintendo Life
Updates and patches
Embark is making Arc Raiders free to play for four days to celebrate Frozen Trail, its biggest update yet. Eurogamer
World of Warcraft: Midnight's final weekly class tuning before 12.1.5 helps struggling specs, though Unholy Death Knights have been hit with notable nerfs. PCGamesN
WARDOGS players will be glad to hear IR Rangefinders are being pulled from the vendor until Season 02, when they'll need batteries, as the developers agreed they were overpowered. KingHoward Apex Legends has trimmed the Fast Draw Wild Card's benefits and fixed a Steam bug that reset settings on every relaunch. RSPN_Bean
Industry news
2K is delisting NBA 2K25 later this month, with servers closing in December. That ends MyCareer, MyTeam and other modes, including the single-player story mode. VGC
Capcom has announced a multi-phase project to turn its RE Engine into an AI-driven engine, aiming to speed up QA, debugging and data processing. GamesIndustry.biz Meanwhile, long-standing modders are furious about a flood of AI-generated mashup mods made with Claude spreading across social media. Eurogamer
Disney's Dana Walden has dismissed rumours of an Epic Games buyout, saying those aren't the conversations the company is having right now. GamesIndustry.biz And a hastily deleted PEGI rating for GTA 6 mentions "detailed decapitation" and "frequent and prominent" drug use. PC Gamer
On a happier note, PlatinumGames boss Atsushi Inaba has hinted he wants to further develop Bayonetta and expand her world. VGC
On Amicium this week
Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS top the Steam most-played list, followed by Apex Legends, WARDOGS and Deadlock. Valheim, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered, Grand Theft Auto V Legacy and Slay the Spire 2 round out the top ten. It's no surprise to see Geralt back among them.
Over on the Epic Games Store, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and BURIED STARS are free to claim. Grab them while you can!
That's all for this week. See you next time, and happy gaming!