Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer Teases Upside Down Invasion as Gaming Trends and Business Models Raise Concerns

Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer May Reveal Crew Entering the Upside Down

The trailer for the first part of Stranger Things Season 5 hints that characters will venture into the mysterious Upside Down, expanding on its lore and setting.

• The Trailer For Part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 Might Just Show the Crew Going Into the Upside Down — IGN
• The upcoming Pokémon Pokopia may have a deeper link to classic games, fans believe – here’s what we know — Eurogamer
• The Witcher 3 director’s new RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker is different to that classic CD Projekt Red game in one big way: it doesn’t have a main quest — Eurogamer
• The Crew Unlimited devs have prevented the Ubisoft racer’s “3rd imminent death”, this time via a “Y29K” bug — Rock Paper Shotgun
• The Fallout TV Show season 2’s NCR ranger power armour has already arrived in Fallout 4 thanks to modders — Rock Paper Shotgun
• The 10 Most Valuable Avatar: The Last Airbender Magic Cards That I’m Already Chasing — IGN

Rockstar’s AI Experiment Sparks Fears of Industry Over-Focus on Profit

Rockstar Games co-founder is exploring the use of AI in his next game, but acknowledges potential industry pitfalls such as an ‘overly focussed on making money’ that could lead to unethical practices or neglect of creative vision.

• Rockstar fired unionising GTA 6 devs following Discord chat about new company Slack policy, claims report — Rock Paper Shotgun
• Rockstar Games co-founder and former Grand Theft Auto scribe reckons there’s ‘always that danger’ that the industry will get ‘overly focussed on making money’ — PC Gamer
• Rockstar Games co-founder is dabbling with AI for his next game, but admits it’s “not as useful as some of the companies would have you believe yet” — Eurogamer

Black Friday Deals: PS5 Still Cheaper Than Xbox Series S, Plus More Games Added to PlayStation Sale

Eurogamer reports that the PS5 can currently be bought for £20 more than an Xbox Series S, offering additional storage. Meanwhile, IGN highlights a significant expansion of the 2025 Black Friday sale on PlayStation, adding numerous PS5 games to its lineup.

• I can’t believe you can currently buy a PS5 for only £20 more than an Xbox Series S – and you get more storage — Eurogamer
• PlayStation Just Added a Load More PS5 Games to Its Incredible 2025 Black Friday Sale — IGN

Valve’s Unprecedented Revenue: A Capitalism Fusion Reactor Behind Gabe Newell’s Yacht Collection

Estimates suggest Valve generates astronomical profits per employee, explaining how Gabe Newell funded his lavish yacht purchases. The company’s model exemplifies capitalism’s extreme scale.

• Estimates peg Valve as a capitalism fusion reactor, making such ungodly money per employee that it’s no wonder Gabe Newell bought all those yachts and the whole damn yacht company — PC Gamer

IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 5 Review

IGN provides a detailed review of the fifth episode of IT: Welcome to Derry, discussing its plot developments, character arcs, and thematic elements. The episode is praised for maintaining suspense while advancing the overarching storyline.

• IT: Welcome to Derry Episode 5 Review — IGN

CD Projekt’s Open World Design Philosophy: A New Chapter in RPG Evolution

In a recent interview, CD Projekt revealed Baldur’s Gate 3 as an ‘inspiration’ for their future projects but emphasized their commitment to big open worlds. They clarified that they are not planning a game like Larian Studios’ acclaimed title.

• Baldur’s Gate 3 is ‘an inspiration’ for CD Projekt, but it’s all-in on big open worlds: ‘We are definitely not going to make a game like Larian did’ — PC Gamer