The video game industry has been a tumultuous place of late, with mass layoffs, game cancellations, and studio closures, not to mention ongoing fears about the role of artificial intelligence. These issues have affected developers big and small. One smaller developer that has endured and thrived is Supergiant, which just launched Hades 2 this week.

Supergiant was formed in 2009 with seven people and has grown to 25 today. The seven original members all remain at Supergiant today, and the company has never done a major layoff, all while never taking in outside funding, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. How has Supergiant achieved this? In an interview, the developer discussed that and dug into how the company will choose the next game to come after Hades 2.

What's the secret?

Creative director Greg Kasavin, the former executive editor of GameSpot, said there is no "magical explantation" for why Supergiant has endured while others have not. However, one theory he has is that Supergiant has focused on staying modest instead of pursuing massive growth.

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In 2015, developers Pilgrim Adventures and GrabTheGames Studios released The Deed, an adventure-RPG that upended the traditional structure of mystery stories. This week, The Deed is available on Steam for free for a limited time, but only if you grab it quickly.

From now until Saturday, September 27 at 10 am, The Deed is free to all users on Steam. The best way to describe the premise is to invoke the board game Clue. Except this time, you're not out to find the killer because your character is the murderer, and the goal of the game is to get away with the crime.

Players assume control of Arran Bruce, a man who believes that he's the rightful heir to his family's ancestral home, Dunshiel House. Arran's father disagrees, and has cut him out of the will in favor of Arran's younger sister. For Arran, the solution is simple: His sister needs to die. How she dies is up to you as the player.

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If you've ever wanted to rewind a Twitch stream, that long-awaited feature is finally at hand. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has announced that pause and rewind options were added to the service this week, with some notable exceptions.

Clancy made the announcement during a live-stream (via The Verge), and noted that it is currently limited to Twitch Turbo subscribers or for channels that users are individually subscribed to. However, it's not available on mobile yet.

"It's a feature I've been looking forward to us getting out," said Clancy. "It keeps viewers connected as they pause or rewind. Chat continues to stay live, so you can see the hype and understand what's happening in the live stream. The idea is that you're still there, you can catch up and then you come back."

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Two of developer Blizzard's worlds are once again colliding, with the sci-fi heroes and villains of StarCraft crash landing in Diablo 4 in the form of class-specific premium cosmetics based on iconic characters from the RTS franchise.

From September 26 through October 10, StarCraft cosmetics for each of Diablo 4's six classes, as well as a Zerg mount and mini Hydralisk pet, will be available for purchase in the in-game shop. Blizzard has not yet revealed the price of these cosmetic bundles, but if they are anything like Diablo 4's previous Berserk crossover, expect to pay around $28 per bundle.

A look at Diablo 4's StarCraft crossover skins.

Each skin is class specific and based on major characters StarCraft players are more than familiar with. They are:

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The Lord of the Rings Hardcover Box Set (1988)

$40.79 (was $90) | Artwork by Alan Lee

Get deal at Amazon

Amazon's early Prime Big Deal Days sale features a wide assortment of excellent book deals, including steep discounts on a bunch of popular fantasy and sci-fi box sets. As usual, some of the most popular deals take readers back to Middle-earth. One of the standouts is a beloved 3-book box set of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings with artwork by Alan Lee on the front covers and beautiful display box. Prime members can get this vintage hardcover box set for only $40.79 (was $90), which is the lowest price this year.

After you're done checking out the vintage box set, read on for more superb deals on Tolkien box sets, such as The Complete History of Middle-earth for $80.65 (was $250), and budget-friendly Collector's Editions like The Hobbit for $11.33 and The Silmarillion for $12.26. With Prime Big Deal Days set for October 7-8, you can expect to see even more great promotions on Tolkien books in the coming days.

The Lord of the Rings Hardcover Box Set (1988) $40.79 (was $90) | Artwork by Alan Lee

One of the most popular modern editions of The Lord of the Rings, the 1988 hardcover box set offers the most economical way to get editions with cover and box art illustrated by Alan Lee. Widely considered to be the best artist who has worked on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Alan Lee's Middle-earth landscape paintings and Middle-earth maps are gorgeous.

The box set has wrap-around art on the slipcase that matches the covers of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Each cover resembles a painting, as the full-color illustrations have ornate frames with detailed patterns. These editions also come with fold-out maps of Middle-earth during the Third Age. Each book concludes with a section of appendices filled with fascinating reference material and background information.

The muted color palette combined with the classical typeface and faded yellow dust jackets makes these editions look appropriately vintage. Even over 45 years later, though, these editions are among the most beautiful you can buy today. It's not surprising these hardcover editions and the box set remain in print. Across all three volumes, the 1988 edition of LOTR is 1,214 pages.

You can check out the cover designs of each of the three volumes below. Each hardcover is also sold separately, but you'd wind up spending roughly $50 and won't get the lovely display box.

Get deal at Amazon The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (1988 editions)

As mentioned, the 1988 editions are the most affordable with cover art by Alan Lee, but there are editions filled with incredible illustrations by the artist. Last year, William Morrow published a remastered edition of the phenomenal 1992 Centenary Edition of The Lord of the Rings. The collector's set carries a $325 retail price, but it's also on sale in Amazon's early Prime Big Deal Days sale. You can get The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set for only $135.09 (58% off). This three-volume set is packaged in a custom cloth board display box and features over 50 new illustrations and drawings by Lee. The books themselves have cloth board cases and are quarterbound in leather. Check out our dedicated story on The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated Box Set to see why these editions are so special.

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One Battle After Another on 4K Blu-ray

Steelbook 4K: $44.25 | Standard 4K: $30

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart

Paul Thomas Anderson (and Thomas Pynchon) fans can preorder One Battle After Another on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon and Walmart. The Leonardo DiCaprio-led action thriller just opened in theaters, but we already know of four physical editions. The Limited Edition Steelbook was briefly available to preorder at Walmart before selling out. Amazon has yet to open preorders for the 4K Steelbook, but the standard 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray editions are much cheaper at Amazon (for now at least). You can reserve One Battle After Another's 4K Blu-ray for $30, while the 1080p Blu-ray is $25.

One Battle After Another on 4K Blu-ray Steelbook 4K: $44.25 | Standard 4K: $30

One Battle After Another's 4K Blu-ray editions support HDR10 and two Dolby surround sound modes: Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1. Special features haven't been revealed yet, neither has the official artwork for any of the four editions we know about so far: Limited Edition Steelbook, standard 4K Blu-ray, 1080p Blu-ray, and DVD. The Steelbook Edition artwork should be revealed soon, and it wouldn't be surprising if the movie poster above winds up being the cover for the standard editions.

The Steelbook Edition also comes with a standard Blu-ray disc and digital edition. The regular 4K Blu-ray edition only includes 4K and digital. The standard Blu-ray edition also includes the digital edition.

One Battle After Another at Amazon:

• 4K Standard -- $30
• Blu-ray -- $25
• DVD -- $20

One Battle After Another at Walmart:

• 4K Steelbook -- $44.25
• 4K Standard -- $37
• Blu-ray -- $33
• DVD -- $30

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Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, and Teyana Taylor starring, One Battle After Another looks to be an early contender for major awards next year. An action thriller spliced with dark comedy, the 162-minute film currently sits at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes' critic meter. DiCaprio leads the way as a former revolutionary who is now perpetually paranoid due to rampant substance use. Bob Ferguson/Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio's character) must rescue his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) from Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, his mortal enemy played by Sean Penn.

One Battle After Another is inspired by Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland. The basic premise and some plot points are adapted from the book, but One Battle After Another isn't a conventional adaptation. Anderson previously adapted Pynchon's 2009 novel Inherent Vice. The 2014 movie is considered to be "based on" rather than "inspired by," as it's more faithful in its approach. Unfortunately, Inherent Vice is only available on Blu-ray, not 4K Blu-ray, but at least it's super cheap. Pynchon, one of America's greatest living novelists, is famously reclusive, so it's doubtful we'll learn how he feels about One Battle After Another.

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Last Year, Pacific Drive took players to an alternate version of the Pacific Northwest filled with bizarre horrors. The indie survival game was one of our favorite releases of the year, and soon it's getting a big new expansion, Whisper in the Woods, later in 2025. Even better, you'll be able to add a new physical edition of the game to your collection when the Amazon-exclusive Pacific Drive: Ritual Edition launches for PS5 later this year. This version will include the full base game plus the new Whisper in the Woods DLC, a selection of bonus content, and an exclusive steelbook case for $60. While there's no firm release date yet--nor any preorder bonuses announced--fans can secure their copy now at Amazon.

Pacific Drive: Ritual Edition $60 | Release TBA

This PS5-exclusive physical version of Pacific Drive will include the base game and the upcoming The Whisper in the Woods Story Expansion, four cosmetic DLC packs, and an exclusive steelbook with tuckbox packaging. While Pacific Drive originally launched on both PS5 and PC, this edition is limited to just PS5.

Preorder at Amazon Pacific Drive Ritual Edition

If you don't want to wait for the new Ritual Edition to own the game physically on PS5, check out the existing Pacific Drive: Deluxe Edition. This comes with the base game, an in-game cosmetic pack, a reversible cover, three physical art cards, and a traveler’s journal. It’s currently on sale for $36 (was $40), making it a nice alternative to the upcoming steelbook of the Ritual Edition. Meanwhile, PC players can grab the Steam version at a discount via Fanatical, where the standard edition is currently on sale for $13.64 (was $30) or the Deluxe Edition for $16 (was $35).

Pacific Drive Deals

• Pacific Drive standard edition (PC) -- $13.64 ($30)
• Pacific Drive: Deluxe Edition
  • PS5 -- $36 ($40)
  • PC -- $16 ($35)
• Pacific Drive: Ritual Edition (PS5) -- $60 | Release TBA

Our Pacific Drive review gave it a strong 8/10, highlighting its powerful upgrade system, unsettling version of the Pacific Northwest, and a excellent soundtrack featuring artists from the region. “Rarely does a video game make driving as engaging and enjoyable as Pacific Drive does, even though it can be much more challenging than any real-life drive I've ever taken,” wrote critic Mark Delaney. “With a ton of gameplay depth, an intoxicating atmosphere, and a New Weird story I obsessed over, the debut game from Ironwood Studios dazzled me even though it occasionally left me stranded in the breakdown lane.”

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