A Horde of Skulls is waiting

Letter to a Gamer is being published in a condensed version for Easter , so there's no analysis at the end of this edition. The rest of the newsletter, however, is here to brighten your weekend with the week's news, a few recommendations, and a review of a video game that will please all fans of Megabonk and Vampire Survivors. As always, this week's episode of the [REDACTED] podcast is at the end of the newsletter for those seeking a more entertainment-focused experience in gaming and sports journalism.

News index

+ One million Accounts Compromised by GTA RP Servers
- Take Two Fires Its Entire AI Team
+ Fan Faces in PlayStation Games
- 50 million copies for Joseph Fares
+ Landfall launches its own indie video game label

One Million Accounts Compromised by GTA RP Servers - A misconfigured server in the Spanish GTA RP community has accidentally exposed nearly one million players' personal data. The compromised database contains nearly 820,000 pieces of personal information from users connected to various role-playing servers, including NaranjaRP, CalipsoRP, and LaStreetRP. GTA RP servers are community-run multiplayer worlds for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V, where players, rather than playing as the original GTA characters, create their own unique characters and live their lives. From cops to ice cream vendors, these worlds become almost full-fledged MMOs, and their communities are highly active and engaged. A breach of this nature threatens the personal security of many users, as playing requires an account containing a wealth of sensitive personal information.

Take Two Fires Its Entire AI Team - Not all layoffs are bad news: Take Two, which owns Rockstar Games and has GTA 6 on the way, has laid off its entire team of "AI Specialists". This Week in Videogames pieced together the news by compiling a series of posts on LinkedIn on which the company declined to comment. Take Two's CEO has praised AI in the past but has been skeptical of its generative potential. If there was ever a game at risk of being flooded by AI slop, it was GTA 6: it's a good thing the company has decided to distance itself from the technology, and I hope the rest of the industry follows suit.

Fan Faces in PlayStation Games - Sony has just unveiled a curious initiative designed to reward the most die-hard fans of the PlayStation brand. It's called The Playerbase and will feature the faces of devoted fans of the respective IPs within select Sony first-party titles. To participate in the project, you need to register online and answer a few questions. Sony will then review the applications and select a group of fans who will be invited for a video interview. From this group, one fan will be chosen as the winner and will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles "for a day of scanning and collaborating with a designer to create their own logo and custom livery for Gran Turismo 7," according to the release. The fan's image will be used for one of the portraits that will appear when interacting with the game's characters. Unfortunately, Sony has clarified that this will be a "special, limited-time" appearance and not a permanent addition to Gran Turismo 7.

50 million copies for Joseph Fares - Hazelight Studios, the developer of Split Fiction, has sold over 50 million copies of its three cooperative titles. The developer announced the milestone on Twitter, saying it was "stunned and amazed by the number of fans who have enjoyed our games". The three titles that have combined to reach 50 million copies sold are A Way Out (2018), It Takes Two (2021), and Split Fiction (2025). A Way Out has sold 13 million copies, It Takes Two 30 million, and Split Fiction 7 million.

Landfall launches its own indie video game label - The co-developers of the popular cooperative climbing game Peak have announced a new publishing division called Evil Landfall. In addition to publishing Landfall projects, Evil Landfall will also support indie titles from other developers. The publisher has revealed several indie projects it has already "invested in" and intends to focus on projects similar to its games.

What to play this weekend

Something new to try and discover for the first time

Looking for something new? Thrills? Tear-jerking stories? This list of recommendations has something for everyone, from new releases to early access titles to demos of upcoming video games that are still a long way off.

All will fall - For fans of god games, there's a new post-apocalyptic colony sim where political decisions are as important as the quality of your construction engineering. Published by tinyBuild, a publisher specializing in this genre, All Will Fall offers a nuanced 3D physics-based construction system, an asymmetrical three-faction political system, and a myriad of short stories to uncover based on who you choose to favor, support, or penalize.

People of note - Imagine combining an RPG, a rhythm game, and the dynamic turn-based combat of Expedition 33, and you have the next video game that will be a musical theater fan's obsession for the foreseeable future. People of Note may not have the most compelling narrative, but it combines familiar elements in new ways and, especially if you're a fan of rhythm games, it has a responsive, musical combat system that turns every performance your band makes into a musical showdown. The levels of camp are off the charts: if you love Eurovision, jump on this game.

Pokèmon Champions - If your love of Pokémon has ever had a competitive side, then you need to try Pokémon Champions. This newly released game will be the backbone of the entire competitive ecosystem and will revolutionize even the mainline titles because it's the only place where PvP battles will take place. The game will be the focus of next week's review, but if you've ever loved Pokémon, I can't help but recommend it since it's free and compatible with Switch 1 and 2.

The ratline - Fans of Return of the Ora Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol, step forward—there are some Nazis to hunt. If you love deductive games featuring clues, evidence, and culprits on the run, The Ratline will be a delightful homecoming filled with '70s atmosphere. After the murder of a priest, a secret list is made public, and the wheels start turning: can you solve the mystery before the trail disappears? If you don't trust me, check out the praises it got from the creators of the genre's cornerstones:
"I loved every minute of the demo."
Lucas Pope, Return of the Ora Dinn
"It offers a series of clever puzzles and satisfying revelations right to the end."
Jeremy Johnston, The Roottrees are Dead
"If you love Golden Idol games, you'll love The Ratline."
Will Ackerman, Lead Designer, Rise of the Golden Idol.

Skull Horde review: an action-packed auto battler filled with hellish fun

If you liked Megabonk and Vampire Survivors, this is the game for you.

This review of Skull Horde will be brief because this auto-battler is a game that thrives when the player knows just the bare minimum. Its recipe for fun is a blend of classic dungeon crawler gameplay with a roguelike structure and a touch of Vampire Survivors-style automation.

In the game, you play as a skull at war with his own body, who must fight his way through hordes of enemies at the head of a horde of his own, composed of units recruited through combat. The skull, however, doesn't throw punches or shoot arrows; he simply acts as the center of gravity for his army of minions.

Available units range from archers to swordsmen, from spearmen to clerics, and there's no limit to the number of individual soldiers you can have on your team, but there is a limit to their type. You can only have five different unit types on your team, and to welcome a new one, you must dismiss one of your existing recruits.

The units are then combined: three basic ones make a veteran, and three veterans make a champion. Each unit has a health bar, and when it dies, it is reborn after a timer ranging from 2 to 7 seconds (depending on its strength). If all the units die at the same time, the player loses one of their three starting lives, after which the run ends and the player must restart.

The strategic depth is considerable, as in addition to the units, there are dozens of passive upgrades that speed up regeneration, inflict penalties, provide stacking damage bonuses, and affect a whole host of unit parameters and statistics. There are two currencies, used to purchase different upgrades from different vendors, and a series of altars that require sacrifices or complex challenges in exchange for further upgrades.

The formula is original, the gameplay is frenetic (but only up to a point, given that you only use two buttons in addition to the directional pad), and the fun is plentiful. If you like the idea of ​​commanding your small army against hordes of demonic enemies, then Skull Horde might be the perfect pastime for you. There's a demo to try it out, but if you've loved Megabonk and other games where you battle hordes of enemies, then this title is a surefire winner.

Don't forget to listen to the new episode of [REDACTED] Podcast, the weekly show in which Francesco Lombardo, Cecilia Ciocchetti, and I analyze the week's most important gaming and esports news.

Thank you for reading Letter to a Gamer. It's only thanks to your support that this newsletter can remain independent, free from advertising, sponsorship, and any other influence beyond the relationship between you and me. If you haven't already, you can join the Telegram group to ask questions, suggest titles for review, and discuss with other enthusiasts. If you love Letter to a Gamer and want to help, you can share this link with your friends and gaming buddies and follow the newsletter on social media (Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok).

See you at the next Letter
Riccardo "Tropic" Lichene