The episodic rollout of Hitman has gone pretty smoothly so far, with four episodes and various elusive targets going live without any major snags. There were a few technical bumps along the way, but the biggest problem, at least for those of us who like discs and boxes, was probably the delay of the physical edition into early 2017. That was the last we'd heard about it until today, when Square Enix finally got around to nailing down the release date to January 31.

Hitman: The Complete First Season is billed as the ultimate physical version of the game (it's also the only one, as far as I know, which makes that a bit of an easier mark to hit), with all locations and episodes from the first season collected into a swanky Steelbook case. All Escalation Contracts, Challenges, Opportunities, and Contracts are also part of the package, along with a trio of bonus missions, the original soundtrack, a making of documentary, and the Hitman: Requiem Blood Money pack.

The disc combines everything we have learned, refined and updated over the course of a ten-month live season. It s the direct result of live input, development and feedback from our players, Io Interactive studio boss Hannes Seifert said. We also added loads of additional downloadable bonus content to release on the 31st of January for everyone getting this beautiful edition of the game on a disc and everybody owning the digital Full Experience or upgraded versions of the game."

Io said that details about how current owners can get their hands on the DLC included in the physical edition will be revealed later this year, but confirmed that the Requiem Blood Money pack, which was initially available only as a preorder bonus, will also be released for standalone purchase on January 31.

You will recall a couple of weeks ago that Electronic Arts VP Patrick Soderlund said the publisher is absolutely actively looking at remastering the Mass Effect trilogy for current-day platforms. That represented a dramatic change in direction from the previous year, when he told Game Informer that EA's focus is on making new games, not re-releasing old ones.

But now it looks like he may have spoken too soon. EA's chief competition officer Peter Moore didn't deny the possibility outright when he was asked about it in an interview with IGN, but he made his position very clear.

It's just not what we do. We've got incredibly talented devs and studios around the world who are focused on delivering new IPs, new experiences, more and more live services, he said. Could we make an easy buck on remastering Mass Effect? Yes. Have a thousand people asked me that? Yes they have. Do we have... No. I mean, we just feel like we want to go forward. There's a little thing called Mass Effect Andromeda that we're totally focused on at BioWare, and it's going to be magnificent. Anything that distracts from that... Do we have teams lying around that are doing nothing right now, that can go and? No, we don't. We want to focus on the future.

Moore acknowledged that there's a demand for a remake, but said that's true of many of EA's properties. There is a lot of people who want Skate 4. There's a lot of people that want Fight Night to come back. We're a 34-year-old company that has thousands of pieces of IP around the world," he continued. "Road Rash! And if you allow yourself to take the easy road, to go do something here and again, not to diss remastering great franchises but there are so many opportunities for us, and there's an opportunity cost for this, to have people do something else other than what their objectives are to go forward.

Moore and Soderlund clearly aren't on the same page here, which does us no good in trying to predict whether or not this is actually going to happen. Based on my understanding of corporate structures, Moore is higher up the ladder than Soderlund, but even so I think will eventually do it that's just too much money to leave on the table, especially given the new Mass Effect audience that Andromeda is bound to drive. Peter will probably pass on the tattoo this time around, though.

The relevant bit starts at the 1:16 mark. Thanks, Shacknews.

It s nearly the end of North America s most competitive season yet. Team SoloMid have claimed their crown after a dominant 17-1 run, falling only to Phoenix1. Counter Logic Gaming have fallen to the Immortals, but based on the strength of their Spring performance, they re heading to Worlds. There s just one last competitive test for the remaining teams on the table: the gauntlet.

The regional qualifiers offer these teams redemption after losing in the playoffs, and the prize is worth the extra time and gruelling series: the last seed available for Worlds. There s a lot on the line, and only one spot left. Each of the four teams has their own story heading into the gauntlet. This week, let s take a look at the journey that each team took throughout the season, and what a spot at Worlds would mean for them.

Liquid: the dark horse

Team Liquid have had their share of struggles over the last splits, with forever fourth becoming a meme describing their middle-of-the-pack performance. This is, perhaps, the most dire run through the gauntlet for them yet. Their surprise pick of Jynthe wasn t enough to save them from being knocked out of the playoffs, and now they ve lost their star jungler, Dardoch. Dardoch had been temporarily benched during the regular split, but returned after their replacement jungler wasn t able to mesh with the main squad. That s just a fraction of Liquid s roster swaps; they also lost World Champion Piglet, putting him on their challenger team... which failed to qualify for the LCS.

To say that Liquid is in dire straits would be the understatement of the century, and yet they still have a spot in the gauntlet. Teams have made miracle runs before, but it doesn t seem likely that Liquid would be able to stand up to the Immortals or Cloud9, who are both looking strong. They may even find themselves unable to defeat the other contender in the first round. If Liquid made it to Worlds, it would be a massive vindication, proof that they had a master plan that paid off. It would just be a plan that pulled the wool over everyone s eyes, as no one has faith that this squad can even place fourth this time.

EnVyUs: the green eyed monster

Team EnVyUs had a strong start to the split, but weren t able to translate that early potential into real results. The squad has some young talent on it, and it seems to be less an issue of the squad and more a question of infrastructure and coaching. NV has pulled out some really puzzling pick and ban phases, and the players each have problem areas that haven t been improved, including bursts of over-aggression and mismanagement of abilities. This isn t to say that the players are bad, or not LCS-calibre. It just means that they would benefit from coaching and analysis, as all players do.

This is also EnVyUs s first split, and it makes sense that they would have a lot of room to improve. They should be proud of their achievements so far, and overtaking two top teams and making it to Worlds would be the cherry on top. It s not a realistic expectation, but we ve seen Cinderella stories play out before. In fact, our next team starred in one of them not so long ago.

Cloud9: the revitalized titan

Cloud9 seemed like a team that needed Hai to function. After he returned as a jungler, and then a support, the team pulled out of their nosedive and ran a gauntlet of their own, going from a team that risked relegations to attending Worlds as the third seed. Their new roster of Impact, Meteos, Sneaky, Smoothie, and Jensen have solved the shotcalling issues that plagued them for so long, and they ve always had mechanically strong carries.

Smoothie has proven himself to be a talented young support, and Impact is in rare form, recalling the days in which he was a world champion. While Cloud9 fell to Team SoloMid, their first game was a joy to watch, and even as they lost the next three games, they went down swinging. Doublelift is cheering for Cloud9, and so is anyone who was touched by Jensen s emotional reaction to losing in the finals he had worked so hard to reach.

Immortals: the last stand

The Immortals have had an amazing set of regular seasons, going 17-1 and 16-2 during the spring and summer regular splits. You d have to be a fool to suggest that they aren t a talented set of players, capable of outplaying North America s best... except TSM, who they haven t been able to conquer since the playoffs where TSM took them out in a vicious 3-0 series. The Immortals have been able to take games off every other team in North America, and Team SoloMid aren t in the equation. However, their record has led people to question whether they re capable of performing in high pressure, do or die scenarios.

Cloud9 is white hot and hungry for their shot at the world stage, and so are the Immortals... but can the Immortals stand up to the pressure of a Best of 5, knowing that this is their one and only chance to make it to Worlds? If they do make it to Worlds, how will they compete against the international elite? These questions hang over the Immortals, and the gauntlet offers them a chance to start to settle those doubts.

The gauntlet allows one more team to join Team SoloMid and Counter Logic Gaming at Worlds. It seems a shame that either the Immortals or Cloud9 won t be making it, but the points system allows for CLG to compete after their incredible Spring Split, and Team SoloMid have more than earned their place. No matter what, North America should have their most competitive Worlds lineup yet.

The recently-renamed THQ Nordic is continuing its efforts to breathe new life into old brands with the release of Titan Quest Anniversary Edition. The heavily-updated version of the sorely-underrated Iron Lore action-RPG includes both the original game and the Immoral Throne expansion, and if you happen to own one of the previous releases of the game on Steam, you get it for free.

The full anniversary edition changelog is available here, but it's stupidly huge (ten years of updates will do that), so here are the high points:

• Restored and improved multiplayer functionality, including new features like a built-in voice chat and NAT resolving for best multiplayer connectivity
• Support for more resolutions, larger camera distance and scaleable UI size
• Improved performance and general stability
• Support for modders through new modding options and a fully integrated Steam Workshop
• Complete balance rework with improvements to all Masteries, damage types, unique items and sets
• Countless bug fixes and other improvements, including ten years’ worth of community fixes
• Increased challenges and rewards for larger parties and on higher difficulty levels
• Dozens of new heroes and bosses to encounter Improved enemy and pet AI
• Quality of life features like higher stack limits, quick item pickup, a larger stash and a speed setting
• Reduced cheating with curbed exploits, removal of test items and mod comparison in multiplayer
• Steam Friend Invites
• Steam Achievements
• Steam Trading Cards

Titan Quest was a really good action-RPG that, despite largely positive reviews, suffered a rough launch and never really caught on. Iron Lore went under shortly after the release of the Immortal Throne expansion, and that was the end of it although on the bright(ish) side, that failure ultimately led to the creation of Grim Dawn, another top-notch ARPG.

For those of you who don't have Titan Quest in your Steam library, the Anniversary Edition is still awfully cheap: It's on sale for 75 percent off on Steam and GOG, dropping it to $5/ 4.50, until September 7.

As developer CCP announced today via a new dev blog, from this November onward EVE Online will let players fly around for free using limited characters. Those who wish to continue on as normal subscribers can existing accounts will remain, but the current trial account system will be axed alongside the imminent November expansion.

New clone states separate free and paying players. Characters can assume alpha clone status for free. This is essentially the new base state and will be available to any character in New Eden at any time. Alpha state clones will be able to explore and trade as they desire, however will be limited to specific ships including tech one Frigates, Destroyers, and Cruisers. Alphas will also train skills at a reduced rate compared to their Omega counterparts.

Omega clones, on the other hand, will behave exactly as your subscribed characters do now. Omega clones who stop subscribing will see their character revert to an alpha state, with access to alpha state ships and skills. If they subsequently resubscribe, the character's advanced omega benefits return. Here's CCP Seagull offering a more in-depth look at clone states:

Further information can be gleaned via the dev blog. The gist is that CCP hopes to introduce new players to EVE Online without disturbing the universe as it stands today.

Part of our vision for the future of EVE has included more open access for some time, but with the interconnected nature of the game comes vulnerability, reads the post. We knew that if the floodgates were opened in the wrong way, we could see anything from server meltdowns to the collapse of the Eve economy. Over time, our hardware has improved, code has been untangled (mostly!) and we ve found a design we believe in.

EVE Online is a game which boasts many fascinating stories, therefore perhaps we can expect even more via this more accessible model. In any event, free accounts will be available from November onward, and players seeking access to advanced skills will continue to require a subscription.

It has trains, it has...definitely not zombies, Tinybuild s Alex Nichiporchik told Tom when discussing The Final Station at PAX South this year. What it does have is an end-of-the-world-type scenario, swarms of infected , a whole load of sidescrolling and shooting, and a sprinkling moral dilemma. You rescue survivors and, with the resources you ve gathered, you have to make a choice: are you going to use these resources to make sure your survivors live? Or do you just say screw it and get out?

The Final Station is out now, so I guess you ve got the chance to answer that question yourself. Here s the game s launch trailer to aid your decision.

"Travel by train through a dying world. Look after your passengers, keep your train operational, and make sure you can always reach the next station," explains The Final Station's official site. "Make your way through swarms of infected at each station. Explore mysterious and abandoned stations looking for supplies and survivors.

"The real question is whether or not you'll help the survivors get to their destinations...or let them die and loot their bodies. Sometimes people can be more trouble than they're worth."

In his preview of an early build, Andy cited reservations regarding the credibility of the risk vs reward concept Nichiporchik touches on above; however did note that there was something legitimately intriguing in the overarching idea. At the time of writing, Steam reviews are Very Positive , which would suggest the majority of players thus far agree with the latter.

The Final Station is out now on Steam for 10.99/$14.99.

Tripwire and Antimatter Games aren't interested in describing why the Vietnam War was fought, only how it was fought: tunnels, traps, napalm, and loud ass helicopters splashing the tops of jungle trees. I flew one of those helicopters, a Huey, and nervously landed it wobbling and skidding in a cleared patch of jungle to unload a squad near a vital capture point. I took off while my troops ran, and then from somewhere in the brush a rocket-propelled grenade whizzed into the air, into my rotor. It was all flames and trees after that. The title of a 70s war movie could have been overlaid on my wreckage right then.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, the follow up to Rising Storm and the Red Orchestra series of realism-focused multiplayer FPSes, is mostly the tension part of the war movie. It s a lot of slow, creeping movement, a lot of thinking about my positioning and the enemy s positioning, and then a burst of action automatic rifles and explosions and the part where a bunch of extras die. (You're the extra.)

And it isn t strictly from an American perspective. As with the other games in the series, Antimatter (which is based in Cornwall), is not taking sides: this is all about weapons and tactics, a reenactment of war that cares only about how these very different armies won and lost and whether or not we can get into their heads and play out their movements.

I know there s still a lot of feelings about this particular war, since it is still in quite a lot of living people s memories, said lead programmer and designer Sturt Jeffery, But we don t take any sides here. It s just one side fighting another side in a war that could ve been right, could ve been wrong, we re not going to weigh in to that. It s about the battles, the tactics, for us, and making sure both sides are treated fairly, and nobody s being demonized, and we re not making one to be better than the other.

In researching the game, the team visited Vietnam several times and producer Jack Hackett said he read memoirs from North Vietnamese soldiers which informed some of the tactics and dialogue dialogue referring to contextual lines you ll hear in combat, as there s no story outside the structure of the battles. What they came up with, which I played an unfinished version of with testers, is a multiplayer reenactment of the Vietnam War that is likely unmatched in its attention to detail.

Asymmetrical warfare

To be fair, Vietnam hasn t been attempted many times in videogames certainly not as often as World War 2 and I wouldn t say Rising Storm 2 is exactly realistic. Something like Arma and its many possible ways to sit, stand, and lie down tries harder at putting us in real bodies, where Rising Storm 2 is more interested in pairing action with a broader concern for authenticity how military technology works and how different armies operated, with leeway here and there to make it fun. One thing particularly exciting is how the asymmetry of the first Rising Storm, which pit American semi-autos and flamethrowers against Japanese bolt-actions and swords, has become more elaborate and striking in Vietnam.

The Viet Cong do not have helicopters. They did have helicopters during the war, but didn t fly them south of the border, says Jeffery, as they knew what would happen if they did. So in maps and modes which involve helicopters, only the Americans can fly them by spawning as attack and transport pilots at an airfield secluded away from the capture points. You d think giving one side flying cannons would entirely tip the scales, but it doesn t.

The Americans are loud. You can hear helicopters from across the map. The VC, on the other hand, bolt through tunnels both actual tunnels built into the map and spawn tunnels which squad commanders can dig, and which act as mobile spawn points the Americans are forced to hunt and destroy. The Viet Cong can also avoid detection by American scout helicopters by staying crouched and still or going fully prone. They can be anywhere, while it s pretty obvious that the Americans are coming from the direction of the Huey that just roared across the map. Two completely different forms of mobility.

And because some Americans need to work as pilots, they have fewer soldiers on the ground attacking points. Plus, piloting wasn t exactly a safe job in Vietnam mounted guns and RPGs can make it hell and it s challenging to fly, at least for inexperienced me. While not meant to be hyper-accurate flight simulations, the helicopters are certainly trickier to control than they are in the Battlefield series, and as they take damage they become even harder to keep upright. Even in the gunner s seat, I struggled to see or hit anything as we circled the map, and needed teammates marking targets so I at least had some idea of where to shoot.

I love that Antimatter has taken this approach to the American and VC armies. The word balance is so often lobbed into discussions about game design as if it s a single, incontrovertible idea. Antimatter does want to achieve a roughly 50/50 win-loss ratio for each side on each map, but it s balancing the sides in terms of interesting tactics and maneuvers, not pure parity.

This is actually a slightly different approach than the team took for the first Rising Storm. Jeffery tells me that in RS1, the teams were unbalanced, so the maps had to be unbalanced in the other direction to even it out. This time, the teams should be able to compete regardless of which way they re going. Obviously any maps designed to include helicopters (not all do) require some design specific to each team you couldn t spawn the Viet Cong in an airfield they can t use but no soldier has an inherent advantage over the other. It s Type 56 AK-47 vs M16, and there s no clear winner, so maps shouldn t have to be tilted.

I asked how, with so many variables guns, explosives, commanders (one player on each team who can call in scout planes and airstrikes), and helicopters they can make sure both sides are going to have fun. It s a lot of testing, and also a lot of throwing out ideas. While Antimatter decided on everything that should be in Rising Storm 1 from the beginning, it took a different approach this time, trying out everything they thought might work and throwing out what didn t, including dozens of maps. One of the things that came from that process is a daunting new game mode.

Land grab

Rising Storm 2 maintains the series-standard offset Territories mode, in which one side must work its way across the map capturing points while the other defends. The new Supremacy mode, however, is more like Battlefield in that the map is wide open and you can go after any point you like something Tripwire and Antimatter developed as they looked for ways to represent the more open, guerrilla warfare of Vietnam as opposed to WWII's lines. But rather than running down some number of enemy tickets by holding territory as in Battlefield, Supremacy is a tug of war. Every few seconds, the difference between the American and Viet Cong-held bases pushes a bar in one direction or the other, so it s possible to be near defeat and then start shoving the bar back until you have the advantage.

What especially makes Supremacy more challenging than Territories is that each point actually represents a large piece of territory on the map which borders other territory, and teams can only earn points from territory they own if it s connected to their home base. Say the Americans control all the points and are quickly nearing victory: If I, as the Viet Cong, were to take the point directly adjacent to their base, cutting it off from all the other points, I could stall their victory (though they d still earn a few points from their home base). So it s very important which points you attack and defend (some are worth more than others, too), which makes the commander and squad leaders integral to victory someone has to be looking at the map, figuring out where the enemy is going, and calling the shots in voice chat.

Both sides can play it like a straight-up Territory match and go toe-to-toe, says Tripwire vice president Alan Wilson. The smarter team will disrupt and distract the enemy. The US, for instance, can have players use their binoculars to set targets on top of key objectives. The commander will then wait for VC sneak attacks to call in artillery or napalm or an AC-47 Spooky, which summons several seconds of circling 7.62mm minigun fire on the target. The VC, meanwhile, can call in its own strikes, fill objectives with traps, and harass Americans with well-placed spawn tunnels.

In practice, this is all pretty tough to jump into. I had no sense of where the enemy might be which is partially the right feeling to have if you re on the American side or what to focus on. In my defense, I was trying to ask questions to the developers while also listening to my squad leader and deciphering the user interface, something Antimatter recognizes needs work.

It always takes me a little while to adjust to playing a Red Orchestra or Rising Storm game, where a single bullet from who-knows-where can kill you. Eventually I found a nasty camping spot behind a building across a flat field from a Viet Cong spawn tunnel. I watched them sprinting across the flatland toward a hill and started spraying them with my M3A1 Grease Gun. A couple fell before I was shot in the back.

The guns may be automatic in Vietnam, but they aren t necessarily easier to use than in the first Rising Storm, with its bolt-action and semi-auto guns. Held at the hip, they don t fire at an invisible reticule in the center of the screen, instead firing exactly where the barrel is pointing, somewhere off to the right of your body. Suppression is more effective in RS2, and exhaustion causes significant gun sway. The sights of some of the guns are grimey and overbearing (the M3A1 especially), and the sniper rifles give you tiny scopes to peer through.

On one very unfinished Territories map, I set myself up on the third floor of a half-untextured building peeking out of a smashed wall at a tower about 300 yards away. I knew the Viet Cong were hanging out in that tower from a prior experience getting killed repeatedly. So I lay there and waited, my M16 sights blocking much of my view. When I thought someone was up there, I fired in bursts, mostly blasting at the stone. Every now and then, in the upper-right corner of the screen, I would see a kill notification with my name at the front.

Shell shock

Like the others in the series, Rising Storm 2 won t be an easy game for newcomers, as much as Antimatter and Tripwire will try to help out with tooltips and training. Anyone used to clearly-marked enemies, not accidentally killing teammates, and guns with simple and predictable recoil is going to have a hard time at first. After you spot an enemy in Overwatch, for instance, you can chase them around and have a duel that spans half the map. In RS2, they might disappear behind a small hill a couple seconds after you take your first shot and chasing them will probably get you killed in as many seconds. Half the time I m shooting at dirt, hoping that even if I don t score a hit, my suppression is helping keep someone away from a point. I once spent 10 seconds shooting at a teammate because I didn t hover my sights over him long enough to see his name tag. That s embarrassing.

Meanwhile, in the helicopters I pelted the ground where I thought enemies might be, hoping I accomplished something scared them, at least but not always knowing. It s an unusual FPS because it doesn t ask me to move quickly and fluidly and have snappy reflexes as much as it asks me to be cautious, aware of the battlefield, and sensitive to my weapon s awkwardness and inaccuracy. I was already a fan of the series before I got to play RS2, and my demo reiterated what I enjoy about it, even with the switch to AK-47s and M16s.

One minor disappointment is that while Rising Storm 2 has new things under the hood model fidelity improvements, higher-resolution textures, new shaders it doesn t feel like any big technological improvement over the last game. The lighting is still flat, some of the textures are ugly, and soldier animations are awkward if you catch them up close. They nailed the trees, which are dense and tall and intimidating, either as a source of hidden enemies or something to accidentally pilot a chopper into but it also wasn t hard to get stuck on bits of the maps or have to fight the geometry of hills by hopping and zigzagging.

Tripwire is soon going to provide more engine development support to Antimatter games, and as far as the maps go, every issue I had is fixable. Many were superficial and expected of work-in-progress maps missing textures or areas that haven t been smoothed out and the foundation of Rising Storm 2, that asymmetrical design, works and is a lot of fun for someone already attached to the series. As usual, there will also be community-made maps and mods apparently a lot of backend work has gone into RS2 that should make it easier to modify so who knows what scenarios we ll be dropped into a year or two after release. Tripwire and Antimatter haven t announced a release date yet, but the plan is to get Rising Storm 2 out in early 2017.

King of the Kill, the multiplayer Battle Royale mode that spun off from H1Z1 to become a standalone game, will leave Steam Early Access on September 20. The price is rising to $29.99, but developer and publisher Daybreak Games has announced that the current price of $19.99 will remain as long as the game is in Early Access, meaning you'll be able to buy it for the lower price right up until launch day. You can watch the announcement trailer above.

I got to watch developers play a round of the latest build of King of the Kill during a private Twitch session (I had been invited to play myself but couldn't make it) and I did see a number of improvements from the last time I played. The UI looks better, inventory management is simpler, and I also noticed lighting improvements that make the game look significantly crisper. There's also some slick integration planned that will allow players to connect their Daybreak and Twitch accounts, so streamers and their fans can easily enter team matches with each other.

Most notably, the vehicle physics have been completely overhauled. I watched one developer race a Jeep around for several minutes, and at no point did it flip over and skate across the pavement upside-down after hitting a tiny bump (as I experienced when I played H1Z1 a while back). The handling is different for different vehicles, and the cars now look fun, rather than frustrating, to drive.

The launch will include a new map called The Arena (Early Access playtesting will begin on September 2) and for competitive esports players, King of the Kill will also introduce a season system, though a start date and season length haven't been determined yet. The H1Z1 Invitational will take place on October 2 at Twitchcon in San Diego.

You can learn more at King of the Kill's official site.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain was our game of the year in 2015, however the foundations for it were laid by standalone introductory chapter Ground Zeroes. Today, Konami has announced Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience which gathers both games and a bunch of DLC under one banner.

Due to launch via Steam on October 13, players can expect additional Mother Base currency , as well as a slew of items, including Rasp Short-Barrelled Shotguns, the Adam-ska Special handgun, a range of Personal Ballistic Shields, and a number of costumes for The Phantom Pain. Previously console-exclusive Ground Zeroes missions D j Vu and Jamais Vu are also included, as are a number of DLC packs and weapons for Metal Gear Online.

Metal Gear Solid V has received collectively over 60 industry accolades and awards thus far, says Konami president Tomotada Tashiro in a statement. The Definitive Experience will give players an opportunity to play the complete MGSV experience, without interruption. Additionally, with Metal Gear Online, players also get access to a completely unique multi-player setting that is designed for a truly engrossing gaming experience as well.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience is due October 13. Console versions will cost 34.99/$39.99, however Steam pricing is yet to be confirmed. Read Sam s review of The Phantom Pain over here.

Back in January, strategy specialists Arcen Games announced its then newest game the roguelike bullet hell Starward Rogue had been received well critically, but had flopped financially. This in turn forced mass layoffs at the studio, its founder and CEO Chris Park wrote in a blog post, therefore much rested on the shoulders of its latest game In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor.

After just three days on sale via Steam s Early Access programme, it s been pulled, refunds have been offered, and will now be given away free-of-charge.

I'm going to give all the customers of In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor a full refund and let them keep the game, then take the game off sale, explained Park in an update post on Saturday just three days after the game s Wednesday launch. The game is selling extremely poorly, even below what happened with Starward Rogue.

Park then explored the reasons why such a seemingly drastic decision was made after such as short period of time, which he said was mainly down to past experiences and his regret for failing to act quickly enough in steadying the boat. In a new update posted today, Park explains he and Arcen s plans moving forward and how to initiate refunds.

Finally today I was able to have full conversations with Valve and Humble, we got things taken down, and I finally have some concrete answers for you on exactly what is planned next, says Park. Valve had some great suggestions based around the multitude of various requests that people have had during this period. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, so I was very glad for the guidance there.

Ultimately, Park hopes In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will eventually catch on in its free-to-play state, something which will make him consider a fully-realised follow up. Otherwise, Arcen will work on AI War 2: Rise from Ashes a follow up to the original game which made the company s name.

Although stated in the posts linked above, there doesn t appear to be any way to download or install In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor for free or otherwise at the time of writing.