To celebrate the start of 2014, Eutechnyx’ free-to-play online racing game and car community, Auto Club Revolution, today released the majestic Watkins Glen International track and a special challenge to its players, as well as a developer diary giving racers everywhere a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of this famous location. Known to avid racers worldwide, the New York-based track has played host to nearly every type of major road racing event since it was founded in 1948, including F1, NASCAR and Indycar.

Eutechnyx has selected three of the most popular Watkins Glen courses to include in-game, but only one – the speedy, NASCAR-style Short Route – will be available to drivers today. Giving the community added incentive to race together toward a common goal, the ACR team has issued the ‘Race to Release’ challenge, which will unlock the remaining Watkins Glen paths when completed. In order to unlock the two longer routes – the Watkins Glen Classic Boot and Watkins Glen Boot – the community must collectively race 100,000 miles at the track. Players will be updated via social media and the ACR forums as key milestones along the way are met, as well as through a unique progress tracker bar on the ACR website.

Based in Newcastle, UK, the development team, including its executive producers and track designers, worked around the clock for 12 weeks to carefully recreate Watkins Glen as accurately as possible, combing a vast sea of reference pictures, telemetry data and videos. Beginning with placing the initial track layout in the ACR virtual environment, ‘The Glen’ underwent time checking and tweaking based on camber heights and the width/length of curbs in various places to ensure that the virtual track matched its real-world counterpart. Once the layout was completed, assets were fully produced, ranging from crowd seating/stands, trees, road markings, and buildings – even portable toilets! Eutechnyx’ talented concept and environment artists worked together to add the final touches, polishing it off before working with the Quality Assurance team to ensure the track was bug-free. After final sign-off, detailed videos were sent to the track officials for approval, guaranteeing complete authenticity to the renowned Watkins Glen International.

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a connoisseur of mead, has added a wide variety of new character-creation content to War of the Vikings, the upcoming close-combat game from Fatshark. Currently available via Steam Early Access, players of War of the Vikings now have the ability to design a Viking or Saxon of their own from a selection of visual components and character build options, with more choices to come when the game is released. A level progression system has also been added in the update, allowing players to unlock additional character loadout slots and more as they prove their courage in battle. War of the Vikings can be played now in Early Access; learn more by visiting warofthevikings.com

With the new in-game customizer, players can start exploring the various options that will be available when War of the Vikings is released. Combatants will have access to all in-game weapon types and a limited selection of character perks, with more weapons and perks to come at release. Visual styles can also be customized, with full access to cloak and armor patterns, shield customization including patterns and colors, and a limited selection of helmets, taunts, and – most importantly – beards. In addition, the new level progression system will allow players to advance up to level 20 (with a higher level cap coming in the release version), and unlock up to four customization and loadout slots.

War of the Vikings is available through Steam’s Early Access program now.

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that the ninth downloadable content (DLC) pack for DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) – War of the Light Part I – is now available for download on the PC, PlayStation^®3 and PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment systems. War of the Light Part I is the first installment of an epic trilogy focusing on characters that wield power from the Emotional Spectrum.

Intense multiplayer action in War of the Light Part I centers on a brand-new storyline inspired by DC Comics’ vast Lantern lore and takes place in a re-envisioned Metropolis featuring nearby planets Mogo, the sentient Green Lantern Planet, and Ranx, the Sentient Sinestro Corps City. Players are introduced to Saint Walker and the Blue Lantern Corps in War of the Light Part I, and can expect to see additional Corps in future DLCs. Additionally, players now have access to Rage Powers and new Legends PvP characters – Saint Walker and Atrocitus.

“Players are getting more than just a new storyline with this DLC. We transformed Metropolis for the War of the Light trilogy and created new, expandable environments and content – separate from the original – for players to explore,” said Jens Andersen, Senior Creative Director for DC Universe Online. “In War of the Light Part I both heroes and villains can utilize Rage powers, a unique and challenging power set that offers a new tanking mechanic, adding yet another dimension to fights. It looks amazing and I’m looking forward to players mastering the Red Lantern-inspired power.”

In War of the Light Part I, Lanterns of all colors have lost connection with their Emotional Spectrum’s entities. Following cryptic evidence, four Corps – Green, Blue, Sinestro, and Red – converged on Earth, determined to find out what happened to their entities. This clash of the Lantern Corps has resulted in a new war of light, centered in Downtown Metropolis and nearby sentient planets Mogo and Ranx. Players must team up with Hal Jordan or Sinestro in high-level multiplayer adventures to investigate the strange colored mists that have descended upon Metropolis and are affecting the citizens’ emotions.

War of the Light Part I includes:

• New Rage Power – Drawing its power from the Red Light of the Emotional Spectrum, Rage can be utilized for either good or evil. Heroes and villains who wield the tank/damage power will notice its abilities have a berserker style feel.
• New 4-Player Operations – Unusual colored mists have appeared and caused a new war of light, centered in Downtown Metropolis, Mogo and Ranx. With the help of their allies, including Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner on the hero’s side, and Hank Henshaw and Sinestro on the villain’s side, players must uncover the origin of the mysterious mists.
• New 8-Player Operation – The Green Lantern and Sinestro Corps clash while investigating the mists in this new Operation taking place on Mogo and Ranx.
• New Legends PvP Characters – War of the Light Part I introduces two new Lanterns – the violent Atrocitus and the agile Saint Walker.
• New Lantern-inspired Gear – Heroes can earn Green Lantern-inspired gear, while villains can collect gear influenced by the Sinestro Corps. Both alignments can obtain the Red Lantern styled gear.
• New Feats and Collections

DCUO’s War of the Light Part I DLC pack is a free download for the game’s Legendary members and is now available for $9.99 USD for Free and Premium players via the PlayStation^®Network, the in-game Marketplace, or for PC players via the DCUniverseOnline.com website.