Sandbox game Hytale was only surviving until now, bruised badly by cancellation and studio closure before it recently got back in the warm hands of its creators at Hypixel. According to CEO Simon Collins-Laflamme, even this new chapter of existence has sometimes been difficult for Hytale – but things seem to finally be happier after a successful round of playtests this week.

While, not long ago, Collins-Laflamme said "the game is not good enough" to release in Early Access yet, he seems to be in better spirits about the Minecraft-like now. He says in a November 25 post on Twitter, "Over 60 people play-tested Hytale yesterday and gave us great feedback and bug reports! Things are doing well!"

"There are ongoing tests the whole week and we should have some hardware min spec estimate later this week," Collins-Laflamme continues. "We also did a 15-player SMP with the dev team in the morning, it was nice to see things coming together at last!"

While Hytale hasn't been wholly reborn, this is still a promising change for a game whose 10 years in development have often been muddied by setbacks. Acknowledging this, creator Collins-Laflamme continues to say there's still a "long way to go, but momentum is key."

"We are doing large-scale server tests later this week, and some PvP!" the dev continues to say. Hypixel will also soon release a new blog post regarding Hytale's Creative Mode, along with raw gameplay footage, and "a bunch of screenshots" from playtesters.

"Hytale is saved": Riot sells Hytale back to Hypixel founders, who promise 10 years of support, an early access date soon, and a return to the "original vision."

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Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 is well into its second year of updates at this point, with Saber Interactive having unveiled the roadmap for year two back in August. Patch 11 represents something of a palette cleanser between September's birthday feast and next year's Techmarine treat. But there's still plenty here for veteran Ultramarines to get their massive, armoured mitts on.

Patch 11's main event is a new PvE Operation. Titled Reclamation, it takes place in orbit above the planet Avarax and sees your squad assaulting a "critically damaged Imperial cruiser to purge it of Tyranid infestation". It seems there will be slightly more to the operation than this, however, as the post says objectives will "begin to shift" as events proceed. Intriguing!

Alongside this, the update introduces a new PvE item called Sanctified Wrath, which makes players immune to knockbacks and provides a slight boost to melee damage. It also knocks back enemies in a small radius when deployed, which should make it useful if the Tyranid hordes threaten to overwhelm your position.

There are also 40 new battlefield conditions, six extra heroic weapons and eight additional armour pieces. That's it for completely new stuff. But the update makes some mechanical changes too.

Chiefly, it expands the moveset of the Assault Marine, adding several new Jump Pack Dash attacks, which Saber says are "much quicker and [more] responsive than normal sprint attacks." This isn't an isolated change, either, with Saber planning to continue "expanding and improving sandbox gameplay for all classes."

In other words, expect similar additions to the Tactical and Vanguard Marine classes in due course, though likely not until after Patch 12. Elsewhere, the update improves combos and attack damage for the Power Axe, increases the power of the Heavy Bolt Rifle, and adjusts the Vanguard class to make it less of a healer and "reinforce [the] range/melee hybrid playstyle for him."

One of the most notable changes is hidden away near the bottom of the patchnotes, which is that it increases the netcode damage cap across the game. Saber says this is "going to open a huge can of worms for gameplay balancing, but that it "it has to be done", as the studio believes that game damage numbers should not be restricted by net code:

"It's pretty clear that some damage buff combinations from multiple sources are already insane," Saber adds. "For now, have fun."

Patch 11 will be the last major update for 2025. Patch 12, which will arrive early next year, will introduce the aforementioned Techmarine class, hence why Saber is saving any further tweaks to existing classes until after the Omnissiah axe-wielding engineer arrives. There are plenty more updates planned after that, which should help put paid to the weirdly persistent belief that Saber's development of Space Marine 3 is siphoning resources from Space Marine 2's post-launch support.

Spellcasters Chronicles is Quantic Dream's upcoming action MOBA that sees teams of three pitted against one another alongside hordes of grunts and mythical creatures as they fight for dominion of the map. It's pretty cool, I had a great time with it in the preview, and now you can too, soon.

Quantic Dream is opening Spellcasters Chronicles up to the public in a couple of weeks, on December 4 at 3 pm UTC until December 8 at 9 am UTC. Over these few days, players across Europe and North America will be able to jump into games and check this new game out for themselves.

There are six spellcasters for you to try out: Two Duelists ( the Swamp Witch and the Astral Monk), two Conquerers (the Iron Sorcerer and Fire Elementalist), and two Enchanters (the Mystic Scribe and Stone Shaman). Each one will have a variety of decks, expendable summons, and abilities. Everyone also has an ultimate that builds up throughout the match and access to summoning a titan, a huge beast the size of a skyscraper that can destroy almost anything in its path.

"We built Spellcasters Chronicles as a game that thrives on adaptation, creativity, and team

synergy, and that only truly comes to life once players get their hands on it," says Gregorie

Diaconu, game director of Spellcasters Chronicles. "Opening the servers for the first time is such an exciting moment for the team. It’s the beginning of a dialogue we’ve been eager to start; we want to listen, to iterate quickly, and to shape the experience together with our players."

You can sign up for the closed beta through the Spellcasters Chronicles Steam page or via the official website. Not everyone who applies to be a part of this closed beta weekend will get in, but that won't disqualify you from further tests. "If they do not receive access for this first session, they will remain eligible for the upcoming beta."

"This closed beta will help the studio refine the game through player feedback," a press release says. "A second closed beta, featuring expanded content, new Spellcasters, arenas, incantations, and summons, will take place early next year as Spellcasters Chronicles continues its journey toward early access. Each new phase will introduce additional gameplay features and unveil more about the world and the community-driven narrative of Spellcasters Chronicles."

Baldur's Gate 3 Lae'zel actor Devora Wilde says she'd "absolutely" be open to taking on the role of a Sister of Battle in a future Warhammer video game, even if she admits she's "still very new to the universe."

At the Golden Joystick Awards, one of GamesRadar+'s resident Warhammer nerds James Daly spoke to Wilde about Space Marine 2, noting that one of the audio logs you can discover in the game, which "is delivered with a signature kind of venom and Emperor-worshipping strength," is voiced by her. Asked if she'd be open to taking on the role of a Battle Sister in a future game – like Alanah Pearce in the upcoming Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2 – Wilde is immediately all for it.

"Absolutely," she responds. "Oh my God. All Warhammer stuff is amazing, and I'm still very new to the universe, and I don't know that much about it, but I do sort of know what a Sister of Battle is, and it sounds great."

It's not just because of her fierce performance as Lae'zel that this makes sense – earlier this month, a trailer for the upcoming official Warhammer animations shows Wilde voicing a Sister of Battle, too. Even if she's not taken on the role in a game yet, Games Workshop clearly sees her as a good fit, and that's not to mention her appearance in Warhammer 40K: Darktide as a player voice for the Arbites DLC class.

Elsewhere at The Golden Joysticks, fellow Baldur's Gate 3 star Jennifer English encouraged devs not to use generative AI in games, saying: "I get it that AI is a tool. I get it, but not to replace creativity."

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins 7 titles at Golden Joystick Awards, tying with Baldur's Gate 3 – and Larian boss Swen Vincke approves: "Definitely deserved."