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Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based in the Star Wars universe. Developed by BioWare Austin and a supplemental team at BioWare Edmonton, the game was first announced on October 21, 2008, at an invitation-only press event. The video game was released for the Microsoft Windows platform on December 20, 2011 in North America and part of Europe. Early access to the game began one week before release, on December 13, 2011, for those who had pre-ordered the game online; access opened in "waves" based on pre-order date.
Although BioWare has not disclosed development costs, industry leaders and financial analysts have estimated it to be between $150 million and $200 million, making it the then most expensive video game.[9][10] The post was later taken over by Grand Theft Auto V, with an estimated cost of $265 million.[11] The game had 1 million subscribers within three days of its launch, making it the world's "fastest-growing MMO ever".[12][13] However, in the following months the game lost a fair share of its subscriptions, but has remained profitable.[14] The game has since adopted the hybrid free-to-play business model with remaining subscription option.
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DC Universe Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based upon the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Sony Online Entertainment's Austin studio and co-published by Sony Computer Entertainment and WB Games, the game was released in January 2011.
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Top 10 Free PC Games!
Welcome to the newest addition to FreeApZone.com the Free Windows Games Page. I will do my best to pick only the best Free games for Windows and keep the cheesy ones to a minimum. Note: Many of these games will likely require XP or newer so please check your system requirements.
Microsoft Reacts To Xbox Game Pass Rumor That Could Change The Service In A Big Way
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
Microsoft has released a statement in response to a new rumor that claims the company is considering a massive shakeup to Xbox Game Pass in 2027 that would include numerous significant changes.
ResetEra user Slayven, who has accurately reported on unannounced Xbox news before, said the changes could include the bifurcation of Game Pass into two tiers: one with ads and one without. The tier with ads would be $13/month, while Game Pass without ads would cost $20/month, according to the report.
That's $3/month less than Game Pass Ultimate currently, and the price cut is reportedly reflective of another big change: Microsoft is reportedly removing day-one new releases from Game Pass starting in the February-April window of 2027. The rumor also stated that cloud-streaming access is being taken out of Game Pass, but people can pay for a $6 add-on that gets you 25 hours. Additionally, the report said a Family Plan will be available for an extra $6/month.
Beyond all of this, the report claimed there will be a tier of Game Pass that costs $15/month, and for that, people will get access to select titles in the Game Pass library, along with online multiplayer. Finally, it was reported that Microsoft will also offer a $11/month membership that provides access to online multiplayer alone.
Microsoft responded to the rumor in a statement to GameSpot, originally obtained by Paul Tassi of Forbes.
The statement reads: "We regularly test different Game Pass offerings and look at what works best for players in different markets. We don’t have any changes to announce today or plans that have been finalized. There are no changes to previously announced games coming to Game Pass Ultimate on day one."
Not a random leaker
Reputable leaker NateTheHate said on ResetEra that Slayven has a track record for accuracy, at least somewhat, so "the individual giving them information clearly has knowledge of some matters." However, NateTheHate did not corroborate the reporting.
Slayven said on October 1, 2025 that Microsoft was raising the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $25--they were right about an increase, but it actually went up to $30/month. They were also right about the names changing from Game Pass Core to Game Pass Essential and Game Pass Standard to Game Pass Premium. They didn't get everything right, though, as Slayven said PC Game Pass was being removed, but it wasn't.
In any event, this latest rumor of a massive Game Pass shakeup should be taken with a grain of salt until Microsoft officially makes an announcement.
Game Pass has undergone big changes already
While it remains to be seen if this rumor proves accurate, Xbox's new CEO, Asha Sharma, has already made efforts to shake up Game Pass. One of her first moves after becoming CEO in February 2026 was to cut the price and remove new Call of Duty games from the service when they release. Sharma previously said Game Pass was too expensive and that she had big changes in store for it.
She also alluded to a longer-term vision after the price cuts. "Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around," she said.
That sounds like exactly what the rumor is suggesting. If the rumor is correct, or even parts of it, the new evolution of Game Pass would offer more options and possibly become cheaper for those who are OK with ads.
On the subject of ads, Microsoft just recently rolled out a test for an ad-supported version of cloud gaming, and it's not a stretch to imagine this could be expanded in new ways to help Game Pass reach more people by way of lower prices. Not everyone wants this, of course, and Microsoft is sure to face pushback just like other entertainment companies have for their own ad-based tiers of their own subscription services.
With regards to removing day-one releases, Microsoft is already doing this with Call of Duty, as this year's Modern Warfare 4 won't be available on the service at launch. Getting access to all of Microsoft's first-party games at launch as part of Game Pass was previously one of the membership's top selling points. New Call of Duty games will not come to Game Pass until the following holiday season, so people shouldn't expect Modern Warfare 4 until late next year.
Sharma has said she is considering a "range of options" for exclusives going forward, including "windowing" some games, and that could mean a lot of things for Game Pass and beyond. One possibility is that certain games are kept out of Game Pass at launch and for a period of time, similar to how movies are only available in theaters at first before coming to digital and streaming. The idea is that this pushes people to pay full price as opposed to getting access to new content as part of their membership right away.
So far, it's just Call of Duty that is being "windowed" in Game Pass. Minecraft Dungeons II will launch into Game Pass this month, as will Gears of War: E-Day in October. 2027's Fable will be a day-one release, too, in February 2027.
As for the cloud gaming changes, earlier this month, Microsoft announced that in November, the company will put limits on how many hours per month people can use the service. People can then pay more to unlock more time.
In addition to making Game Pass more affordable, Sharma might look to partner with Netflix on some kind of bundle offering for Game Pass. Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said he and Sharma have “kicked around ideas” for how Netflix and Xbox could work together on subscription bundles. Nothing has been confirmed, but Peters said he “wouldn’t eliminate any possibilities.”
Speaking generally about Game Pass, Sharma has said one of her ambitions is to "fortify" the service with "clear differentiation and sustainable economics."
Sharma is also trying to get Xbox as a platform and company back into a healthy place, and that has meant drastic cuts of late involving layoffs, studio divestitures, and game cancellations. In regards to growth, Sharma recently oversaw the signing of Hideo Kojima for his new game, Physint, which was previously in the works at PlayStation. The game was reportedly over budget and late, which contributed to PlayStation's decision to part ways with Kojima.
James Pond Legacy Situation Is More Than Meets The AI
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
Last month, System 3 Software released a trailer for James Pond Legacy, a four-game collection for Nintendo Switch 2. But the gameplay footage was largely overshadowed by accusations its developer used generative AI to create the game's promotional artwork and cover. System 3 followed this trailer up with a blog post asserting that generative AI was not used in the development process for James Pond Legacy, but some wires were evidently crossed.
If you go back and watch that trailer, it's not difficult to see why viewers pointed out the AI-like quality of the 3D characters adorning the game's box art and other promotional material. When System 3 responded to the accusations with the assertion that "no generative AI was used in the creation of the artwork," referring specifically to the Bovine Bomber character, this was based on the information it was given at the time by Antstream, the studio that handled the collection's actual development.
"That was the statement that we were given at the time by Antstream," System 3 CEO Mark Cale told GameSpot during a call. "We weren't involved in the process. They supplied all of the artwork and they supplied, in the process, the [work-in-progress] illustration. All of that was given to us."
Cale later provided GameSpot with the statement it received back in December from Antstream, well before the trailer was made public.
"The art pipeline on some non-in-game assets includes algorithm-assisted depth and form translation: Original 2D concepts are input into a model to estimate volume and lighting, producing pseudo-3D drafts," reads the statement from Antstream. "Artists then manually repaint, re-render, and finalise all illustrations using this pipeline. The final assets are fully human-authored, with algorithms used only for intermediate visualisation."
You may notice that the statement omits the term "AI," which led to some internal confusion.
"We requested this [statement] for use across the board, including Steam, and to address applicable requirements under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, including the transparency provisions that took effect on August 2, 2026," Cale explained. "Antstream now argues that, because we requested the statement for these purposes, we must have known the extent of their use of AI. However, their statement expressly describes the final assets as 'fully human-authored,' with algorithms used 'only for intermediate visualisation.'"
Had the use of generative AI been made clearer prior to the publication of the trailer and the blog post, System 3 would have taken a different approach, Cale said.
"That doesn't say 'generative AI,'" Cale said. "And if they've used any generative AI at all, it should have been clear in that statement. That was the statement we were told to put on to Nintendo, to Steam, PS5, Xbox--any format we want to go based on that. The actual gameplay itself is, of course, all emulated anyway. And for me, I don't know the definition of how you're going to try to say something that's prompt-based [is] 'generative AI' versus algorithms. And so we honestly looked at that and took that honestly to [mean] there was no AI."
GameSpot was unable to reach Antstream for comment during our time investigating the situation.
Cale said he is far from wanting to throw Antstream under the bus for what happened. He explained the reason Antstream was contracted for the project was because it had done "a bloody good job" of emulating games for past compilations, such as The Last Ninja Collection. The situation for James Pond was a little different, though, with little in the way of existing concept art or other production designs to go on for the in-game supplemental materials.
As someone wary, to put it mildly, of any generative AI usage in video games, I told Cale I would have preferred hand-drawn material created specifically for the collection based on past artwork, but Cale said it wasn't feasible.
"All of the artwork that has been created within the Pond-verse has been based on art that's either on the box cover or characters that are in the game," he said. "And at the end of the day, if people think we're going to redraw, re-render to that quality, and have 20 or 30 people working two years on it, forget it: It's not going to happen. We wouldn't put the Pond-verse in there. The simple fact is, it would not match an investment versus a return. I'm only speaking for myself--I can't speak for Antstream--but if it was for me, I wouldn't do it, because I couldn't justify having 20 artists for a year create all of that in that way."
Still, Cale said that full disclosure--and a clearer set of guidelines for what System 3 considers generative AI--should help to avoid another situation like this happening in the future. Having a set, and perhaps broader, definition for what constitutes generative AI will, at the very least, help prospective buyers know what they're purchasing.
It won't completely solve the problem, though, as Cale mentioned the need to be careful about using the term "AI" to describe any element in a game--even some that have existed for decades.
"AI's become such a swear word, and you should quote me on that!" Cale said. "So, you know, we're doing this other game. It's all been hand-done and everything, and I can't even say, 'Opponent AI's been tweaked to do this.' No, it's 'opponent behavior.' It's just madness! I just don't want to use the word 'AI' in anything, as far as I'm concerned, anymore."
James Pond Legacy: The Pond is Not Enough doesn't have a final release date yet, but will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 at the end of October.
The Last Of Us Season 3 Is Probably The Final Season, HBO Says Yet Again
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
HBO boss Casey Bloys has once again said that the upcoming third season of The Last of Us is expected to be its last.
He told Deadline that Season 3 is coming in 2027, though did not confirm when in the year. Asked if he still think it's the final season, Bloys said he believes showrunner Craig Mazin "has planned it as the final season."
In January this year, Bloys was asked if Season 3 is going to be the last, and he said, "It certainly seems that way." However, at the time, Bloys admitted that a decision like that would come down to Mazin.
Before this, Mazin said that Season 4 was essential to bring the show to a conclusion. However, Bloys has indicated that the show may wrap up its run with Season 3, which could be a longer season.
“Craig is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that,” Bloys said in 2025.
In a big shift for the series, franchise creator Naughty Dog is not involved creatively in Season 3, and Neil Druckmann dropped out as a writer/director. People have speculated about what this could mean, but Druckmann, for his part, said he left the show to focus on his work on Naughty Dog's games.
He is currently directing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and if it's true that Naughty Dog is also making The Last of Us 3, he's probably involved in that, too.
Xbox Game Pass Gets 12 More Games In September
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
The second wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in September has been revealed, and we've also gotten a sneak peek at what's coming in early October. In total, there'll be 12 games headed to Xbox and PC Game Pass libraries, joining September's wave of new arrivals. A few games are also leaving Game Pass on September 30, so you only have a few more weeks to check out some gems like Atomfall and Sifu.
Here's a closer look at what you can download soon.
Several day-one games are launching this month, and Game Pass subscribers can check them out, starting with Kernel Hearts on September 17. This magical adventure should scratch several genre itches, as it's billed as an action-RPG with roguelike elements and optional multiplayer co-op.
The dark fairy-tale metroidvania Well Dweller arrives on September 22, and you can enter a new dimension in Minecraft Dungeons II when it arrives on September 29.
Between those games, there are a few legacy releases to check out. If you need pure action, Ninja Gaiden 4 is an easy recommendation, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion joins Game Pass Premium this month if you want an old-school arcade brawler to play.
Another notable release is Dune: Awakening, as the open-world survival game launches in full on PC and console on September 22. This version includes all the enhancements from its early-access journey, as well as a full single-player mode to experience.
Xbox Game Pass September Wave 2 Games
September 15
RuneScape: Dragonwilds (Cloud and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
September 16
Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Planet of Lana II (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Routine (Cloud, Console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon (Cloud, console, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
September 17
Kernel Hearts (Cloud, console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Ninja Gaiden 4 (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
September 22
Dune: Awakening (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
Well Dweller (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
September 23
Mad King Redemption (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass
September 25
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
September 29
Minecraft Dungeons II (Cloud, console, handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
October 2
Keeper (Cloud, console, and PC), now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
October 6
Gears of War: E-Day (console, Handheld, PC, and Cloud), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass Removes 8 More Games Very Soon
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
Microsoft has announced the second wave of removals from Xbox Game Pass this month, and eight more games are heading out soon.
Earlier this month, Microsoft removed 10 games from Game Pass, so a total of 18 games are being removed this month alone.
Titles set for removal on September 30 include Atomfall, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Sifu, and Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition. Other games getting dumped include SOPA Tale of the Stolen Potato, Sworn, Little Rocket Lab, and Terminull Brigade.
In terms of new additions to Game Pass for September and early October, there are many on the way, including big-name day-one new releases Minecraft Dungeons II (September 29) and Gears of War: E-Day (October 6). Another Call of Duty game joins the service in September as well, with 2024's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 coming to Game Pass on September 25.
Game Pass removals for September 30
- Atomfall (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Little Rocket Lab (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Sifu (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- SOPA Tale of the Stolen Potato (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Sworn (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Terminull Brigade (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Skyblivion's release is "getting closer" as the massive Skyrim mod's makers start recruiting for a big final marketing push
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
Skyblivion, that massive Oblivion remake mod which was originally set to release last year, finally seems to be on the verge of arrival. While they've still yet to put a full release date on it, the mod's creators have announced that they're looking for voluteers to join their comms team and contribute to a final push to get the word out about their creation.
Tim Willits doesn't think Rideshare's generative AI is damaging Saber's reputation
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
A few weeks ago, when I spoke with Tim Willits, chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, makers of games like Space Marine 2, SnowRunner, and World War Z, the company was dealing with the shitstorm that ensued from their announcement of Rideshare Stimulator.
The game's basically an Uber simulator, with you driving a car around town picking up fares, but Saber drew all kinds of bad attention when a former writer on the game revealed the game featured generative AI (something left undisclosed on the game's Steam page until recently) and CEO Matt Karch responded by attacking the writer in statements to the press. Something he has since apologised for.
So, naturally, we talked about generative AI and the reputational damage – or lack of – when getting caught out using it.
Marathon's next major update runs a few months further away, permanent PvE in hand, as Bungie ditch their "strict seasonal schedule"
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
Bungie have announced that the Marathon update originally slated to arrive on September 22nd will not be doing so. Instead, it'll rock up in December as part of a major update dubbed Symbiosis, which'll introduce a new permanent PvE mode. Bungie are pegging it as "the first major step in Marathon’s next chapter" and have decided to ditch their established seasonal cadence for additions as part of this raft of changed plans.
Paradox's grand strategy game Afterworld hasn't got a fixed history, it changes with every playthrough
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
Each time you start a new campaign in Afterworld, Paradox's upcoming post-apocalyptic grand strategy game, a tiny virtual historian cracks their knuckles and gets to work writing a new 200-year history for what happened to North America in the dying days of the great war.
They will decide where the great powers fired their nuclear-tipped missiles, where they released their clouds of flesh-eating nanites, where they dropped their lung-bubbling chemical weapons, and they will decide who survived and who died. These procedural changes should mean that each time you start a new game of Afterworld, the map will be dramatically different from the last.
That flexibility to rewrite the surface of Afterworld is vital, game director Dan Lind tells me, "Otherwise it undermines a lot of the exploration".
European Commission's proposed EU Kids Act could see online games forced to enact stricter age verification amid new rules around accounts for under 15s
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026
The European Commission are reportedly set to propose new rules around how under 15s access the likes of social media, AI chatbots, and online video games. Dubbed the EU Kids Act, the proposed legislation in its current form demands the setting up of a tiered system governing the types of accounts children under 15 can create to access such services. As with the UK's Online Safety Act, that'd result in the rolling out of age verification hoops everyone has to jump through to access these allegedly risky platforms.
Free Win XP Games
Secret Maryo Chronicles is an Open Source two-dimensional platform game with a style designed similar to classic sidescroller games. SMC uses the platform independent library SDL and the OpenGL accelerated Graphics Renderer for the best possible graphics quality.
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OpenArena is a violent, sexy, multiplayer first person shooter based on the ioquake3 fork of the id tech 3 engine. It has many game types beyond deathmatch and a lot of characters. Due to violent and racy content, it may not be suitable for children under 17.
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Do you like fast paced deathmatch? How about rich, colorful, arcadelike atmospheres? How about...retro Sci Fi? Then you're going to love what Alien Arena 2008 has in store for you! This game combines some of the very best aspects of such games as Quake III and Unreal Tournament and wraps them up with a retro alien theme, while adding tons of original ideas to make the game quite unique.
Alien Arena is a fast paced, furious frag fest with arenas ranging from the small, to the massive. With a large built-in player base, it's never hard to find a good match going on, at any hour of the day. The community is friendly, as well as prolific. Dozens of maps, models, and various accessories have been created by community members to add on to the game experience. The CRX engine that powers Alien Arena has received very signifigant upgrades in the last six months, resulting
not only in stunning new visuals, but vastly increased performance as well.
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Scorched 3D is a modernization of the classic DOS game Scorched Earth "The Mother Of All Games" on which it is based. Scorched 3D incorporates a lively three dimensional landscape that includes animated jets, naval vessels, water, and even birds, in addition to detailed tanks and projectiles. Other enhancements include LAN and internet play and music. Scorched 3D is totally free to play and is available for both Microsoft Windows and Unix (Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, Solaris etc.) operating systems.
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Cube 2: Sauerbraten is a free multiplayer/singleplayer first person shooter, built as a major redesign of the Cube FPS.
Much like the original Cube, the aim of this game is not necessarily to produce the most features & eyecandy possible, but rather to allow map/geometry editing to be done dynamically in-game, to create fun gameplay and an elegant engine.
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"Star Wars: The Battle of Endor is a Freeware Star Wars game. Fight against the empire in the epic battle of Endor. Take the controls of an X-Wing and face hundreds of TIEs, Star Destroyers, and try to destroy Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer 'Executor'. Six stages of intense action."
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"Star Wars: The Battle of Yavin is a Freeware Star Wars game. Play as Luke Skywalker in the battle of Yavin. Assault and destroy the empire's Death Star. Fight in space, on the Death Star's surface, make the trench run, and try not to get blasted by Darth Vader's ship. Six stages of intense action."
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Similar in style to Zaxon, Xenon offers great graphics smooth playing with lots of fun.
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