ARC Raiders PvE Test Verdict | Gaming News #75
ARC Raiders' PvE test logged 30 million rounds, and Embark admits the PvE matchmaking toggle split the playerbase.
Gaming News · Issue #75 · 21 October 2026
TL;DR
- ARC Raiders' PvE test logged 30 million rounds, and Embark admits the PvE matchmaking toggle split the playerbase.
- Marathon's Vault Breaker event halves monitor scan XP and cuts armory stock, but solos get 50% more currency.
- Helldivers 2 swapped GameGuard for Easy Anti-Cheat and took 846 negative Steam reviews in a day.
- A Fortune report says Game Pass could go a la carte and the next Xbox could cost up to $1,800.
- The WARDOGS boss says DICE and Respawn are on Star Wars Battlefront 3, a day after Bungie was linked.
🎯 Extraction shooters
ARC Raiders' PvE Test Ran 30 Million Rounds, and Embark Admits It Split the Playerbase
Embark Studios closed ARC Raiders' week-long PvE matchmaking toggle test on October 20 and said players finished over 30 million PvE rounds. The studio called the result polarizing "on a surface reading" and said it needs time with the data. A survey goes to a sample of players from October 22, and Embark expects to share its decision in November. Update 2.2 also landed with the Wreck Set cosmetics and Frigate audio and animation fixes.
Player impact: PvE servers are gone for now, so every raid is PvPvE again. If you want the toggle back, or want it dead, the October 22 survey and the Discord feedback channel are where that vote actually counts.
Sources: GamesRadar+ · ARC Raiders Steam news (Update 2.2)
Marathon's Vault Breaker Halves Monitor Scan XP and Cuts Armory Stock, but Solos Get 50% More Currency
Bungie's Marathon update 1.1.9.5 started the Vault Breaker event on October 20, running until November 10. Weekly armory stock drops hard: Materials Packs fall from 5 to 2 a week and Cryo Archive Key Templates from 3 to 1. Solo players earn 50% more Tier 1 and Tier 2 event currency, monitor scan XP is cut in half, and Vault Keys 4 to 6 only unlock in weeks two and three. Sponsored Night Marsh returns on October 22.
Player impact: Solo runners finally get a reason to queue alone, while squads farming monitor scans for XP lose half their payout. Budget the reduced weekly armory stock early, because the best offers are locked until week two.
Sources: MP1st · Marathon Steam news (Update 1.1.9.5)
Gray Zone Warfare's Rogue Ops Opens to Everyone October 22, and Your Locker and Money Get Wiped
MADFINGER Games confirmed Gray Zone Warfare's 0.5 Rogue Ops update reaches every player on October 22 after the Supporter Edition preview. It is a partial wipe: tasks, rank, apparel, vendor levels, and stats carry over from 0.4, while lockers and money reset so the economy can be rebalanced. Players pick which mode their progress transfers to on first login. A creator launch stream runs October 22 at 11:00 AM EDT, with Twitch Drops through November 6.
Player impact: Spend or use your gear now, because anything in your locker is gone on October 22. Your rank and vendor levels survive, so the restart is a gear sprint, and the mode you transfer progress to is a one-time choice.
Sources: Gray Zone Warfare Steam news (Operation Dead Drop) · Gray Zone Warfare Steam news (0.5 Supporter Preview and wipe details)
🔫 FPS
Helldivers 2 Swaps GameGuard for Easy Anti-Cheat and Gets 846 Negative Reviews in a Day
Arrowhead Game Studios moved Helldivers 2 from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) on October 20 in update 7.2.0, saying GameGuard "wasn't as effective as it could have been" against a recent wave of cheat mods. The studio warned that cosmetic and audio mods may also break and offered no list of what still works. PC Gamer counted 846 negative Steam reviews against 146 positive on launch day. The same patch buffed the Killzone and Halo warbond weapons and the Sickle.
Player impact: Disable your mods before you drop in, since even cosmetic ones can trip EAC and the only fix is waiting for modders to update. Cheat-ruined lobbies should get rarer if the swap works.
Sources: PC Gamer · Rock Paper Shotgun
WARDOGS' CEO Says He's Heard DICE and Respawn Are Making Star Wars Battlefront 3
Joe Brammer, CEO of WARDOGS studio Bulkhead, posted on X on October 20 that he has heard Respawn and DICE are working on Star Wars Battlefront 3, and wondered what that means for Battlefield. It lands a day after reports named Bungie and DICE as studios in talks with Lucasfilm. Nothing is confirmed by EA, Disney, or either studio, so treat it as industry chatter from a well-placed source.
Player impact: If DICE gets Battlefront 3, Battlefield 6 players should watch for thinner seasons as staff split. Apex fans have the same worry if Respawn is pulled onto a new shooter.
Sources: MP1st · GamesRadar+
Destiny 2's First Patch After Live Support Ends Only Fixes a Bug That Gave Out Free Cosmetics
Bungie released Destiny 2 update 4.03 on October 20, version 9.7.0.6 on all platforms, and its only listed change fixes a bug where buying certain Eververse items with Bright Dust unlocked extra cosmetics for free. With live-service support over, players hit back that Bungie only patched something that helped them. Bungie separately says first details on its plan to unvault removed campaigns are coming soon.
Player impact: The free extra cosmetics are gone, so anything you already got from the bug is the only bonus you keep. If you left Destiny 2, the unvaulting details are the real reason to check back.
Marvel Rivals Lets 50 Players Fight a Giant Thanos in an Avengers: Endgame Event From October 24
NetEase's hero shooter Marvel Rivals is adding Path to Doomsday, an Avengers: Endgame event that puts 50 players on one team against a giant Thanos and his alien army, starting October 24. Kotaku reported the mode on October 20. Winning plays a scene of Tony Stark snapping Thanos away with the Infinity Gauntlet, recreating the film's final battle.
Player impact: A 50-player PvE raid is a big break from 6v6 ranked, so expect easy event progress and messy lobbies. Watch whether it ties into paid skins, since Rivals' gacha systems just pushed its rating to PEGI 16.
Sources: Kotaku
🔜 Coming soon
Final Fantasy Resonance Lands at 83 on Metacritic Two Days Before Its October 22 Launch
Square Enix lifted the review embargo for Final Fantasy Resonance on October 20, ahead of its October 22 release on Switch 2, Switch, PS5, and Xbox. The HD-2D turn-based RPG rebuilds the story of mobile game Brave Exvius. Nintendo Life's roundup had it at 83 on Metacritic from 25 reviews, with Game Informer at 9, IGN at 8, GameSpot at 7, and Eurogamer at 3 out of 5.
Player impact: Turn-based fans get a strong-reviewing retro Final Fantasy on every platform this week. The split between a 9 and a 3 out of 5 is about its mobile roots, so check how much grind bothers you before buying.
Sources: Nintendo Life · Pure Xbox
EA Says Fight Night Is Coming Back, 15 Years After Fight Night Champion
EA Sports launched a new Fight Night account on X on October 20 with one post: "To everyone who stayed in our corner: Fight Night is coming back." There is no developer, platform, or release window yet. The last entry, Fight Night Champion, shipped in 2011, and EA has run its UFC series since. It follows EA's revivals of College Football and Skate.
Player impact: Boxing fans finally have a confirmed revival, but with no date it is a wishlist moment. Watch whether EA brings back a real career mode or leans on microtransactions like College Football 27.
🆓 Free to try
Final Fantasy VII Remake Hits Game Pass October 29, and Epic Gives Away Home From October 22
Microsoft's Game Pass wave for October 21 to November 3 adds Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on October 29 for Ultimate, PC, and Premium, plus Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted and Terrible Lizards (Ultimate and PC) the same day. The Séance of Blake Manor arrives October 27. On PC, Epic's free-to-keep pick Home: A Unique Horror Adventure is claimable from October 22 at 15:00 UTC until October 29, alongside the already-announced Sker Ritual. Deep Rock Galactic leaves Game Pass in late October.
Player impact: Game Pass subscribers get a full FF7 Remake run without paying, and Epic's Home is yours forever if you claim it by October 29. Squads playing Deep Rock Galactic on Game Pass should buy it or finish up before it leaves.
Sources: Pure Xbox · Epic Games Store free games
🕹️ Console specifics
Game Pass Could Go A La Carte, With Multiplayer and Cloud as Paid Add-Ons, Says Fortune
Fortune reported on October 20, from interviews with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, that Microsoft plans a Game Pass pricing overhaul built on paid add-ons for cloud gaming, online multiplayer, and console-only games. The same report says Xbox will run more layoff rounds this month, in November, and in January, part of the 3,200 cuts planned through fiscal 2027. None of the pricing is confirmed.
Player impact: If it lands, a cheap base tier plus only the extras you use could beat today's bundles, or online play becomes another bill. Hold off on long Game Pass prepaid codes until real prices show up.
Sources: GamesRadar+ · The Verge
🖥️ Hardware
The Next Xbox Could Cost Up to $1,800 in 2028, With a New Handheld Coming First in 2027
The same Fortune report says Microsoft plans a next-generation Xbox handheld for the 2027 holidays, followed by the Project Helix console in time for holiday 2028. Kotaku's read of the report puts Helix at $1,200 to $1,800 without subsidies. It is unclear whether Microsoft or a partner like Asus builds the handheld. Microsoft has not confirmed prices or dates.
Player impact: At those prices Helix sits closer to a gaming PC than a console. If you were saving for next-gen Xbox, a current Series X or a PC upgrade may be the safer buy for the next two years.
AMD's FSR 4.1 Upscaler Comes to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Ally Handhelds, and RX 6000 Cards
AMD announced on October 20 that FSR 4.1, its machine-learning upscaler, now works on Radeon RX 6000 GPUs, Ryzen AI Max and AI 9 chips, and Ryzen Z handhelds, months ahead of its early 2027 promise. Xbox Series X|S and the Xbox Ally handhelds get it too, with Microsoft's Jason Ronald saying developers get access "very soon." Tom's Hardware measured about a 13% performance cost on an RX 6900 XT at 4K Balanced.
Player impact: RX 6000 owners can switch on sharper upscaling today, and Ally handheld players should see cleaner images at low resolutions. Console players need each studio to patch it in, so watch for per-game updates.
Sources: The Verge · Tom's Hardware
📦 Other
A Black Ops Level Designer Wants Royalties After the $40 Ports Reportedly Earned $435 Million in a Month
Gavin Goslin, a Treyarch veteran who worked on Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2, posted on LinkedIn on October 20 that it is hard to watch the $40 PS4 and PS5 re-releases sell while the original team sees nothing. Alinea Analytics estimates the ports sold 11.2 million copies in July for about $435 million. Goslin argues executives' bonuses from the ports should be shared with the original developers.
Player impact: The Black Ops ports were a nostalgia hit, and this asks who gets paid when old shooters get resold. Expect more re-releases, since Activision said it hopes they push players into Modern Warfare 4.
Sources: VGC
Life Is Strange Studio Don't Nod Enters French Safeguard Proceedings to Stay Afloat
Don't Nod, the French studio behind the first two Life is Strange games, Jusant, and Lost Records, opened safeguard proceedings on October 20, a French court process similar to Chapter 11 that freezes debts while it restructures. CEO Oskar Guilbert said its cash position cannot cover all its projects. A month ago the studio warned it might not get through January 2027 and that up to 90 jobs were at risk.
Player impact: Don't Nod's games stay on sale, but future projects and patches are at risk while the process runs. It is another sign that well-reviewed narrative games are not paying the bills.
Sources: PC Gamer
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