Modern Warfare 4 DMZ UAV Fix | Gaming News #78
Modern Warfare 4's DMZ UAV fix lets you steal towers back, and the same update lets four-player squads queue into free-for-all.
Gaming News ¡ Issue #78 ¡ 24 October 2026
TL;DR
- Modern Warfare 4's DMZ UAV fix lets you steal towers back, and the same update lets four-player squads queue into free-for-all.
- An ARC Raiders streamer named aimkey got a hardware ban for aimbotting three days after asking why he wasn't banned yet.
- Arkane Lyon reportedly has until November 13 to find a buyer, with Marvel's Blade almost finished.
- RTX 5080 wholesale prices just jumped about $300 in China, so the GPU winter is getting colder.
- WARDOGS now kicks anyone above 175ms ping to keep cross-region cheaters out.
đ¯ Extraction shooters
DMZ Finally Lets You Steal Back UAV Towers, Then Lets Four-Stacks Into Free-for-All
Infinity Ward's latest minor Modern Warfare 4 update, posted October 22, says players in DMZ can now steal back UAV towers from enemy control. Since DMZ opened on October 20, squads have been capturing towers and expanding their radar coverage, turning big chunks of the 20-squad map into no-go zones. The same update also lets four-player parties queue into free-for-all bouts, and replies to the patch note are mostly players calling that part out.
Player impact: Solo and duo DMZ runs get their map back from tower campers, but solo free-for-all players should expect coordinated four-stacks wearing the same skins. Queue accordingly.
Sources: GamesRadar+ ¡ Kotaku
An ARC Raiders Streamer Asked 'How Am I Not Banned Yet' and Got a Hardware Ban Three Days Later
ARC Raiders streamer aimkey posted a fast-flicking clip on October 20 asking "how am I not banned yet". On October 23 he confirmed Embark Studios had banned him at the hardware level for aimbotting, citing "a consistent pattern of abnormal behaviors" in a support message. aimkey says the ban is false, offered to fly to Embark's office and play in front of developers, and says he has received death threats. Embark moved to permanent first-offence bans earlier this month.
Player impact: This is the first big test of Embark's permanent-ban policy on a public creator. If it sticks, PvP raids get cleaner; if it was a false positive, every high-skill player has a reason to worry.
Sources: GamesRadar+
Active Matter Sets Ozernoe on Fire and Lets You Bring a Fire Extinguisher as a Weapon
Active Matter's developers opened a temporary Overtime Raid called "Ozernoe: Firestorm" on October 23. It is an open, solo-only raid on a burning version of the Ozernoe map, with Burning Devourers, Scorches, fire anomalies, and rival players. A fire extinguisher can go in a weapon slot to put out flames and neutralise burning enemies. The objective is to track anomalous signals, find the ignition sources, and extract alive.
Player impact: Solo players get a limited raid with no squads to dodge, and the extinguisher means one weapon slot is a real loadout decision. Run it before the window closes.
Sources: Active Matter on Steam
đĢ FPS
WARDOGS Cuts Its Ping Limit to 175ms to Keep Cheaters Out, and Full Region Locking Is Next
BULKHEAD announced on October 21 that WARDOGS official servers now kick players who hold above 175ms ping, down from limits players measured as high as 250ms. The studio said it wants to protect players from regions it sees as more prone to cheating, and says backend region locking is in development. Community servers can still set their own ping rules, and short spikes are not counted.
Player impact: Cross-region cheaters lose easy access to your lobbies, but international friend groups and players far from a data centre may lose official servers too. Check your ping before blaming the kick.
Sources: Last Word on Gaming ¡ WARDOGS Hub
Modern Warfare 4's Multiplayer Boss on SBMM: 'I Don't Know If There's Perfecting It'
Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot told IGN on October 23 that Infinity Ward's goal is that "every match is a good match", but would not explain how its matchmaking works or whether changes are planned. MW4 launched October 23 with Classic matchmaking only, which weighs skill more heavily than the Open option Black Ops 7 offered. Infinity Ward has cited better retention, queue times, and quit rates under Classic.
Player impact: Do not expect an Open playlist soon. If your lobbies feel sweaty after a good streak, that is the system working as designed.
Battlefield 6 Pulls Its Mass Effect N7 Cosmetics After EA Closes BioWare
Battlefield 6 players spotted Mass Effect cosmetics in the game, including a Normandy weapon charm, N7 operator patches, and N7 weapon decals, likely planned for N7 Day on November 7. As of October 23 the items are no longer available, days after EA closed BioWare and cancelled the next Mass Effect. EA has not said whether the collaboration is cancelled or only paused, and MP1st says it has asked.
Player impact: If you were waiting on N7 gear for your Battlefield loadout, assume it is gone until EA says otherwise. The Dead Space Halloween event is still live.
đ Coming soon
Phantom Blade Zero Has Reportedly Sold 500,000 Copies on Steam Before Its October 28 Launch
Alinea Analytics head of market analysis Rhys Elliott estimates Phantom Blade Zero has sold 500,000 Steam pre-orders, about $24 million, ahead of its October 28 launch on PS5 and PC. Eurogamer reported the figures on October 23. Elliott says that is outperforming Gears of War: E-Day and Control Resonant on Steam, with 2.5 million wishlists and China as the top market. These are analyst estimates, not official sales numbers.
Player impact: A strong launch week is likely, so expect busy servers for patches and plenty of creator coverage. If Black Myth: Wukong was your game, this is the one to watch next week.
Sources: Eurogamer
đ Just released
Final Fantasy Resonance Peaks at 27,933 on Steam, Square Enix's Second-Best Turn-Based Launch
Final Fantasy Resonance, Square Enix's first HD-2D Final Fantasy and a console remake of the mobile game Brave Exvius, launched October 22 and hit a day-one Steam peak of 27,933 players per SteamDB. That narrowly passes Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined's 27,390 and trails only Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake's 45,357 among Square Enix's turn-based games on Steam. GamesRadar+ reported it on October 23.
Player impact: First weekends usually set the peak, so the record is still in play. For turn-based RPG fans it is the obvious weekend pick, and early reception will show whether a remade mobile game holds up.
Sources: GamesRadar+
đ Free to try
Mole Mania Joins Switch Online on October 27, and Steam Next Fest's Demos End Monday
Nintendo confirmed three Game Boy games join the Nintendo Classics library on Switch Online on October 27: Mole Mania (produced by Shigeru Miyamoto), Avenging Spirit, and Revenge of the 'Gator, bringing the Game Boy and Game Boy Color total to 49. They are included with the standard subscription. Separately, Steam Next Fest's free demos are available until Monday, October 26 at 10am PT, and Valve has published its top-20 most-played demo list.
Player impact: Switch Online members get three classics at no extra cost from Tuesday. On PC, this weekend is the last chance to try Next Fest demos before they vanish, including the co-op extraction ones.
đšī¸ Console specifics
SmileBASIC 4 Vanishes From the eShop After It Became the Door Into the Switch 2 Jailbreak
The Switch coding game SmileBASIC 4 disappeared from the US and European eShops after researcher Sammy Hajhamid (pepsipu) used a flaw in it to build ns2jb, a tethered software-only jailbreak for Switch 2 firmware 23.0.1. Nintendo Life and TechSpot reported the removal on October 23, and Japan's store still lists it. Nobody has confirmed whether Nintendo or developer SmileBoom pulled the game, and Nintendo has not commented on the exploit.
Player impact: Only people who already own SmileBASIC 4 can run the exploit, and it resets on every reboot. Expect a Nintendo firmware patch, so think twice before installing the next system update if you care about homebrew.
Sources: Dexerto
đĨī¸ Hardware
RTX 5080 Wholesale Prices Jump About $300 in China, and Asus Raises Prices Across Its Range
Hardware outlet ChannelGate reports that wholesale spot prices for Nvidia RTX 50-series cards rose again in China, with the 16GB RTX 5080 up about 2,000 yuan (roughly $300) and the RTX 5070 Ti up about 600 yuan ($90). PC Gamer covered the report on October 23. Asus also raised its own pricing by up to 1,000 yuan on the RTX 5080 and 100 to 300 yuan on every AMD card it sells.
Player impact: Chinese wholesale moves usually reach global shelves weeks later. If you need a GPU this year, current prices are more likely the floor than the peak.
Sources: PC Gamer
Philips Announces the First 36-Inch 260Hz Gaming Monitor, a 3440x1440 Ultrawide
Philips announced the 36M4C5500P on October 23, calling it the world's first 36-inch gaming monitor with a 260Hz refresh rate. It uses a curved 1500R VA panel at 3440x1440, with DisplayHDR 400, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and DisplayPort 1.4. The 36-inch size sits between standard 34-inch ultrawides and 39-inch models. Philips has not announced a price yet, and the "AI-enhanced" crosshair and shadow features are optional extras.
Player impact: Ultrawide FPS players get a high-refresh option that is bigger than 34 inches without taking over the desk. Wait for the price and reviews of its VA panel motion before preordering.
Sources: PC Gamer
đĻ Other
Arkane Lyon Reportedly Has Until November 13 to Find a Buyer, With Marvel's Blade Nearly Finished
French newspaper Le Monde reported on October 23 that Dishonored and Deathloop studio Arkane Lyon has until November 13 to find a new owner or be closed, putting over 200 jobs at risk. The workers' union says Marvel's Blade is virtually finished and calls a cancellation a "monumental waste". Microsoft told Le Monde it is "actively seeking a partner" to finish and sell Blade. Undead Labs went independent; Ninja Theory did not find a deal.
Player impact: Blade's release now depends on a buyer showing up in three weeks. If you wanted another Arkane immersive sim, this is the deadline to watch.
Xbox's First COO Leaves After Three Months, as a Report Says Execs Missed Targets in 5 of 6 Years
Helen Chiang, the former Minecraft head who became Xbox's first chief operating officer three months ago, left Microsoft on October 23 after 21 years, according to an internal memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma obtained by The Verge. Her duties are being split among other leaders until a new COO is named. Separately, GameFile reports Xbox executives missed their pay-linked performance target in 5 of the past 6 years, with content and services revenue down 6% against a 4.3% growth goal.
Player impact: More leadership churn during layoffs and a planned Game Pass overhaul means more uncertainty about prices and tiers. Hold off on long Game Pass prepay deals.
Sources: GamesRadar+ ¡ Insider Gaming
Tim Sweeney Calls Steam's AI Disclosures 'Abhorrent' as Epic Goes All-In on Generative AI
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said on October 23 that Valve's rule requiring Steam games to disclose generative AI use is "abhorrent", describing it as forcing developers to write "a political statement" for a "hate mob". The disclosures appear on store pages: Modern Warfare 4's says its team uses generative AI for some in-game assets. Epic this week announced an Unreal Engine game jam that first required AI use, then dropped the requirement.
Player impact: Steam's AI labels are the one place buyers can see this before paying. If you care about it, check the store page, because Epic is not adding an equivalent.
Sources: GamesRadar+
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