Embark Studios' brand-new extraction shooter Arc Raiders hit a new peak player count on Steam over the weekend, seeing 481,966 raiders online at the same time. As Arc Raiders was breaking its own concurrent player record, Black Ops 7's launch weekend saw lower than usual player counts for a Call of Duty Steam launch, suggesting the competition may be impacting CoD's success on Steam.

Black Ops 7, the latest mainline Call of Duty game, hit a launch weekend peak of 100,332 players on Steam, less than a quarter of Arc Raiders' weekend high. Of course the two numbers aren't directly comparable--Arc Raiders is only available on Steam and the Epic Games Store for PC, while Black Ops 7 can also be purchased through Battle.net or the Microsoft Store, and is playable on PC Game Pass from launch--however the Black Ops 7 launch numbers are also lower than CoD's previous Steam launches.

While last year's Black Ops 6 also was available on Game Pass from launch, it still saw a Steam launch peak of over 300,000 players, almost three times the numbers clocked by its direct sequel. Modern Warfare 3's November 2023 release was also higher, with a launch window peak of 190,000 players.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Lego Disney Pixar: Up House (598 Pieces)

$30.39 (was $60)

See at Amazon See at Target See Walmart Bundle

If you have a Disney Pixar fan on your holiday shopping list, there's an early Black Friday deal at Amazon and Target that you should consider before it inevitably sells out. Both retailers have discounted the 598-piece Lego Up House to only $30.39 (was $60). The nearly 50% price cut is one of the best deals yet for the highly rated Pixar building set. The Up House is recommended for kids ages 9 and up, but just like the wonderful 2009 animated movie, parents might appreciate this "playset" even more than their kids.

Lego Disney Pixar: Up House (598 pieces)

Despite releasing in 2023, Lego's Up House remains one of the most popular Disney Lego sets at major retailers each month. It has received similarly large discounts during previous Black Friday and Prime Day sales, and retailers almost always run out of units before the promotion officially ends. The only Pixar Lego set that has outsold the Up House on Amazon recently is WALL-E and EVE. The new 811-piece set hasn't received any price cuts yet, but Walmart has a 2-in-1 bundle with the Up House and WALL-E and EVE for $95 (was $130).

Continue Reading at GameSpot

A handyman is tasked with refurbishing an old apartment in the city of Berlin, Germany. In the course of his extensive renovation work, he digs deeper and deeper into the history of the apartment. Relics from past times turn out to be silent witnesses - and former companions - of the apartment's previous inhabitants. With each new find, he tells his daughter the story behind this trace of a past adventure - with its own protagonists, in its own genre, with a very different atmosphere, but always set in the same four walls.

What must a chef entrusted with starting a new restaurant in London do? That's right, you need to prepare a menu and come up with a name for the place. Being out of ideas, you considered it lucky to see an email offering to solve your problem exactly. Well, it wasn't exactly luck. Once you clicked on the attached link you found yourself in the Wonderland behind the counter of a mobile cafe. A long journey awaits you in the unpleasant company of the smug Cat. If you survive this, perhaps you'll find a way back home. But firstly, you have to feed the locals you meet. Abra-Cooking-Dabra is a cooking card game. Manage ingredients and make British dishes to keep toves, borogoves, and mome raths fed. Meet timers and fulfil puzzling orders despite the angry wacky Cat being your boss. You are Wonderland's new chef.