The 1.2 update for 'Where Winds Meet', titled 'Stage of Amusement', dropped on the 9th. It is a substantial content expansion following the game's release last year, and remarkably, it continues to hold a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam.

This update wraps up the main storyline for the Kaifeng region. You can now explore the 'Jiuliu Gate Garrison,' a fresh area tucked behind the Kaifeng Ghost Market, to unlock new techniques and tackle side quests. If you fancy a bit of head-scratching, the new dungeon 'Trial in the Mist' has been added, featuring a prison sequence laden with puzzles.

Competitive and cooperative play has also seen a beefy upgrade. The pre-season for the 'Alliance War'—a massive 30 vs 30 clash between factions—has kicked off with six matches scheduled. Need a break from the carnage? The 'Where Winds Meet Celebration' festival event offers quirky mini-games like piggyback racing and human pyramid building to lighten the mood.

Early player feedback following the update has remained 'Very Positive' (91% positive from 741 reviews). Players seem chuffed that the story continues and that there is more content to dig into for free. We expect to see the real impact on the number of concurrent players once the weekend traffic rolls in.

Meanwhile, on the Steam global top sellers list, Dead Island has surged to the top thanks to its persistent 90% discount since the Winter Sale. EA Sports FC 26 is also clinging to a 60% discount, landing it in 10th place.

In the daily peak concurrent players top 20, Marvel Rivals has seen a slight climb to 100,000 players as we head into the weekend, securing 13th place. While War Thunder has dropped out of the top 20, Battlefield 6 sits at 19th with 85,082 players. That said, it is worth noting the game is on a downward trend compared to last week's performance.