Over the years, it’s become increasingly hard to judge what’s going to hit on Steam. There are big breakouts, for sure, but very few games manage to muster a million in sales. Escape From Duckov not only accomplished that milestone, but it’s also gone on to chart over 300,000 concurrent players since launch.

That news comes from Steam Charts data, and given that it launched on October 18, it’s a major accomplishment. It’s easy to see why people have flocked to this strategic game, which is partly a parody of it Escape From Tarkov franchise. You’ll begin your journey as an “average duck,” waking up from a slumber to participate in classic survival festivities and loot gathering.

Escape From Dukov Hits 300,000 Players On Steam

It Was Released A Few Weeks Ago

After just a few weeks, Escape From Duckov reached over 300,000 concurrent players and sold a million copies in total. You’ll play as a little duck who is trying to survive with access to an arsenal, a premise that probably sold at least tens of thousands of people on the concept alone.

Interestingly, the game is a play on Escape from Tarkovwhich has been playable since 2016 across various alpha, beta, and early access periods, and is set to release in just a few weeks on November 15, 2025. It seems like people are taking it Duckov due to the 50+ hour campaign, the low price ($17.99 with sales peppered in), and Steam Workshop compatibility.

How Escape From Dukov’s Player Count Compares To Other Games

It’s Only Below A Few Steam Staples

At the time of publication, only Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2and PUBG: Battlegrounds were above Escape From Duckov‘s concurrent Steam users this past week. Although Battlefield 6 has a bigger peak, Duckov is currently coming in above it, as the dust has settled from BF6‘s very-hyped launch.

Just to put it into perspective, Duckov is doing better than Apex Legends, Delta Force, Rust, Stardew Valley, and GTA V/GTA Online. While most of those games have been out far longer, it’s still a major accomplishment to rise to those ranks in this current competitive climate.

Whether you play Escape From Duckov or not, it’s a good sign that smaller games are able to break through amid the noise and chaos that is the Steam marketplace. Especially amid all the interesting developments within the games on Steam themselves.

Systems

Released

October 16, 2025

Developer(s)

Team Soda

Publisher(s)

BiliBili

Number of Players

Single-player

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

Few things in modern pop culture have the staying power of Star Wars. Yet, even after nearly fifty years, the franchise continues to reinvent itself, and Star Wars: Visions has proven that true artistry thrives when creators are unshackled from formula. The latest entry, “Black,” a short from Visions Volume 3 by legendary animator Shinya Ohira, is not just great Star Warsit is one of the most stunning works of animation ever put to the screen.

In just twelve minutes, Ohira achieves what major Hollywood blockbusters often fail to do in two hours with pure emotional transcendence, according to reviewers like @cole_25_ on X. “Black” does not just tell a story, it evokes something wordless and overwhelming, capturing the chaos of life and death through abstract motion. It is proof that art, when left to breathe, can outshine any billion-dollar production.

The Stormtrooper’s Last Breath in Star Wars: Visions “Black”

“Black” unfolds during the destruction of the Death Star, but not from the viewpoint of heroes or villains, instead, it is told through the eyes of a nameless stormtrooper. This perspective flips the traditional Star Wars narrative, trading glory and rebellion for a deeply human meditation on mortality, identity, and the cost of obedience.

Rather than focusing on dialogue or exposition, Ohira’s story is communicated through motion, rhythm, and color. The animation, fluid yet chaotic, mirrors the collapse of both the Death Star and the soul of its dying inhabitant. The result is haunting: the audience does not just witness destruction; they feel it.

Ohira blurs past and present into a seamless flow, cutting between the soldier’s life and his inevitable end. It is psychedelic yet precise, emotional yet disciplined. Every frame pulses with life, and as light and darkness swirl into one another, the piece becomes a requiem, not just for one man, but for all who vanish unseen in the machinery of war.

Shinya Ohira Redefines What Star Wars Can Be

Ohira, known for his groundbreaking work on Akira, Spirited Awayand One Piecechannels his lifelong fascination with motion and chaos into something transcendent. His team of global artists, from Bahi JD to Toshiyuki Inoue, delivers a visual ballet that feels alive, unrestrained by commercial polish or studio expectation. This is not animation nor spectacle; it is animation as well as revelation.

The episode’s 12-minute runtime is a masterclass in visual storytelling. Without a single wasted moment, “Black” transforms destruction into beauty and despair into catharsis. Each flicker of light, each distorted line, conveys something universal about the fragility of existence, the kind of insight few films ever reach.

In an era when Hollywood relies on nostalgia and formula, “Black” feels rebellious. It reminds fans that Star Wars was born from experimentation, from artists daring to see the galaxy differently. Shinya Ohira’s Star Wars: VISIONS “Black” episode does not just honor that spirit, it reignites it, proving that the franchise’s greatest power is not in lightsabers or lore, but in limitless imagination.

Release Date

October 29, 2025

NETWORKS

Disney+

Episodes

9

Deliver Me From Nowhere finally arrives in cinemas this weekend, the Scott Cooper-directed music biopic that recounts an early, dramatic chapter of Bruce Springsteen’s life during the recording of his 1982 Nebraska album. It’s a no-brainer for fans of “The Boss,” but overall, it’s inspired a mixed critical response that adds up to a more divisive response than expected.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last month, and the reception was striking and intense. Deadline reflected the broad critical buzz when it described the film as the glorious antithesis to your standard clichéd music biopic, labeling it as “the real deal, an intelligent, deliberately paced journey into the soul of an artist.”

Some of this festival buzz is definitely wearing off, though, with the rapturous initial enthusiasm giving way to a general feeling that this highly-anticipated biopic did not live up to the hype. Strong performances from Jeremy Allen White aside, there have been many bones to pick, and even a few shots fired by the media.

Jeremy Alan White Delivers, Even When The Film Is Failing To Do So

Before we get into audience beef with the flick, there is one clear win critics broadly seem to agree on. Jeremy Allen White is loved worldwide for the simmering pathos of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto that he portrays on the hit restaurant drama. The Bearand the critical consensus seems to be that White gives us the portrayal of Springsteen that we were actually looking for.

The key area of ​​praise is that White captures the restlessness of Springsteen without impersonationhis performance altogether more authentic than your typical music biopic cosplay. Rolling Stone calls White’s portrayal “moody and mercurial,” while the LA Times says he grounds the introspective nature of the project and “offers a character study as biopic.”

White gives what The Guardian describes as a “committed performance” that nails the defines the working-class toughness of Springsteen’s celebrated persona, though more importantly, also shines a less-seen torch on Springsteen’s raw vulnerabilities and personal unravelings, providing an anchor to the introspective, emotionally bruising themes that the film explores.

There’s no obvious Springsteen impersonation herecritics say. No exaggerated growl or preening swagger. Instead, White channels something more introspective as he internalizes the exhaustion of the infamous Nebraska recording sessions. He mumbles into tape recorders, chain-smokes through the rewrites, and looks like a man who can’t tell if these songs are saving or killing him.

Deliver Me From Mild Disappointment

Sadly, though, this optimism isn’t matched across the board with Deliver Me From Nowhere. The film is holding onto its fresh status Rotten Tomatoesalthough it has a middling critical score of 61% plus a Metacritic average of 60/100 (with reviews generally leaning in a favorable to mixed-negative direction, it should be pointed out).

The contention isn’t necessarily over director Cooper’s decision to focus entirely on the tortured Nebraska sessions (a gutsy and inspired idea, on paper). Instead, it’s the execution that’s caused a few. The lack of any “Born to Run” victory pencil or E Street Band camaraderie aside, critics claim Cooper bites off a lot with his narrative choices, perhaps a little more than he could chew.

The Guardian unflatteringly describes it as an “awkward biopic, stranded between rock mythology and pop-psych melodrama.” Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle describes it as “endless mope, occasionally interrupted by artistic breakthroughs.” The New York Times argues its admirable ambitions are undermined by “some unfortunate self-conscious artistic flourishes.”

Even harsher was Looperarguing that the film failed to rise above the biopic cliches despite everything. “Every scene has amateurish dialogue riddled with groan-worthy clichés that do nothing to further the development of any of its characters.” UPI claims its focused scope actually renders its flaws more evident, “exacerbates all the cliches from other music biopics that attempt to cover their subjects’ entire lives.”

So What About The Springsteen Stans?

It’s the opinions of Springsteen stans that might prove to matter the most, but there’s some tension here too. Insider movie blog World of Reel World of Reel notes the cooling off from critics, while also expressing their own misgivings, even though the writer describes the book by Warren Zanes that inspired the film as an “incredible book that tries to dig deep into the mind of Springsteen.”

“I’ll admit it, huge Springsteen fan here. I own the entire discography, hundreds of bootleg recordings, lost count of the number of times I’ve seen him live, but this film — it’s just okay. Semi-wasted potential.”

Meanwhile, veteran music industry insider Bob Lefsetz chose not to mince his words: “We had to endure eighteen months of hype for this?” he steamed in his razor-sharp stylearguing the post-festival hype was undeserved. “But even worse is the hype. We had to endure all the stories; they went on ad infinitum, you’d think it was Elvis come back from the dead.”

Andy Capp has been a favorite part of the Daily Mirror since 1957. Enjoy the adventures of Andy Capp and wife Flo every day

Andy Capp has been a favorite part of the Daily Mirror since 1957. Enjoy the adventures of Andy Capp and wife Flo every day

See previous Andy Capp’s or visit his Facebook page.

BBC viewers have decided on the must-watch film to watch with their families this Christmas and it will be available to stream for free

Telly fans have already named the must-watch film this Christmas and the best part is that it will be available to watch for free.

It will be streaming at no cost from December 25, allowing fans to catch up on their own festive plans before coming to Netflix in early January.

Already boasting a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film that is being highlighted on everyone’s watchlist is the return of beloved characters in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

It not only marks the triumphant comeback of the eccentric inventor and his trusted companion, but also an iconic villain from the series, again coming from award-winning studio Aardman.

Criminal mastermind Feathers McGraw, who made his nefarious debut in the short film The Wrong Trousers, is back and up to his old tricks yet again.

While not being broadcast for another month, the reviews have started to pour in for the film and its achieved a perfect 100% on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

In their review, Digital Spy declared that the “new Wallace & Gromit movie is a must-see this Christmas.”

Empire said: “It’s delightful to see these characters again, particularly the long-suffering Gromit, and if the jokes don’t come quite as thick and fast as before, the beating heart beneath the clay remains intact.” While the Daily Telegraph added: “The madcap chaos that unfolds hits all the gleeful highs that this franchise always has, with visual gags coming thick and fast, socked over with the immaculate craft we now take for granted.”

IGN were also full of the praise in their review as they posted: “Vengeance Most Fowl picks up where the last Wallace & Gromit film left off with a hilarious, fresh, cozy tale.”

Fans cannot wait to settle down this Christmas for the new adventure. One took to X, formerly Twitter and posted: “This is what Christmas is going to be about for me.” Another declared: “I am now looking forward to Christmas!”

A joint production between Netflix and BBC, the release schedule for the film is confusing some fans.

Those in the UK will be available to watch the film on December 25 on BBC One, with the broadcaster to confirm a timeslot. It will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

It is part of their Christmas schedule that also includes a return for Outnumbered, Doctor Who along with Gavin & Stacey.

Everywhere else in the world will have to wait until January 3, when it will be added to Netflix.

For those struggling to contain their excitement, fans can catch up on all previous Wallace and Gromit adventures by streaming them on BBC iPlayer, including The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, A Grand Day Out, A Matter of Loaf and Death, and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl airs Christmas Day on BBC One and be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian were among the stars who attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s three-day wedding extravaganza in Venice, Italy, and a body language expert believes the sisters used the occasion to ‘self-promote’

A body language expert has shared the not-so-subtle signs that Kim and Khloe Kardashian used Jeff Bezos’ wedding as an “opportunity to self-promote.”

The Amazon boss and his new bride Lauren Sanchez hosted a three-day bash in Venice, Italy to mark their wedding. The pair’s Hollywood inner circle attended, making it a star-studded event with appearances from Ivanka Trump, Orlando Bloom and the notorious Kardashian family.

While Kylie and Kendall Jenner’s appearance was a bit more understated, the elder sisters seized every chance to turn heads from the moment they rocked up in a plunging catsuit to their swift departure after the 25-minute ceremony.

Body language guru Judi James weighed in on Kim and Khloe’s antics at the wedding, suggesting that the reality stars treated the event more as a PR stunt than a genuine show of support for their mates.

READ MORE: Jeff Bezos’ wife Lauren Sanchez called ‘tacky’ by Katie Couric in cruel dig on wedding dayREAD MORE: Jeff Bezos marries blushing bride Lauren Sanchez in lavish £48million Venice wedding

She told The Mirror US“These sisters behaved very much like 20 year old bridesmaids: single, playful and still as selfie/self-obsessed as any teenager.”

She analyzed their “Jurassic, self-flaunting body language,” specifically when they posed for snaps on a water taxi using “the classic duck-face pout and the inevitable over-stretched V-sign finger signals.”

She noted they were “gazing at their own reflections dated back to the last decade or before.”

“Happily obsessed with their own image, their body language was attention-seeking as they showed no desire to snap out of reality TV/social media star mode and into something a little more ‘privacy-seeking A-lister’ like (Leonardo) DiCaprio’s cap-covered appearance,” she continued.

She went on to comment on the two’s ensembles for the couple’s rehearsal dinners.

Judi noted, “Their snake/lizard skin dresses suggested an urge to signal singleton sensuality.”

Delving into their choices of attire at the wedding itself, Judi remarked: “When the real corsetry, sequins and boas came out on the actual wedding day they stepped cautiously into their water taxi before immediately snapping into yet another pose for the cameras.”

Judi concluded “The two women were on-brand throughout, making the event look like another opportunity to self-promote.

“This was very much two ‘single’ sisters’ style of behavior, being seen to party hard and leaving the wedding a little bleary-eyed-looking to continue their swath of selfies on the water taxi back.”

Earlier, Judi had taken time to analyze Kim Kardashian’s interactions with Orlando Bloom, describing their dynamic as emitting a “close friends” atmosphere when Kim arrived in the Northern Italy city.

Reflecting on their informal banter, Judi shared insights suggesting a friendly exchange: “As the pair chat his profile suggests a raised cheek smile that mirrors Kim’s very warm social smile,” she explained.

Malachi Clarke always knew he wanted to have children and was delighted when he fell pregnant just months after meeting his partner Charlie. Here, he talks candidly to The Mirror about experiencing pregnancy as a man

Grinning from ear-to-ear as they play with their long-for son, dads Malachi Clarke and Charlie Bennett enjoyed every second of their unique road to parenthood.

Malachi is the first female to male trans man in the UK ever to have conceived a baby naturally and went public about his experience of growing Baby A, who is almost two.

“Our son calls me Daddy while Charlie is Daddy,” says Malachi. Explaining why he is speaking out, he says: “We want people to see there is a positive side to being trans. The media paints us as predators but we’re just a couple getting on with life.

“We lead healthy, happy lives, and we want to be open that trans people can have families. You do have to stop your hormones but you don’t need to freeze your eggs. If you’re trans and you want to have kids naturally, go ahead because you can, like we did.”

Just 17 when he came out as trans, Malachi, who was born female, went on the male hormone testosterone at 19 and had top surgery to remove his breasts at 20.

An administrative palliative care worker, he met the love of his life, childcare professional Charlie three years ago. Coincidentally, he’d stopped taking testosterone 18 months earlier because of severe acne – which can be a side effect of the hormone – making it easier for him to get pregnant naturally.

We meet in the couple’s spotless rented house in Tilehurst, the quiet Berkshire suburb where Charlie grew up. Charlie’s parents – dubbed “the in-laws” by Malachi – live in a house backing onto their lovingly tended garden. Both their families couldn’t be closer – or more supportive.

“We just fell in love, didn’t we?” says Malachi to Charlie, sitting in his gamer chair, while their fair-haired son, who is almost two, skips about, playing with his toys.

The couple, who previously had male partners, both felt ready to settle down when they met on Facebook Dating. Charlie says: “We were honest with each other because I had gotten to the point in life where I wanted to have kids. And Mal did as well.”

Instantly clicking over a coffee, Malachi says: “We fancied the pants off each other! Charlie basically came over to my house the next day and never moved out! A month later I found out I was pregnant. Six months later we were engaged and we’ve been together for nearly three years now.”

And they enjoy intimacy. “Sex is sex. It’s not gay sex it’s not straight sex – it’s just sex. It’s hearts not parts to us – we make do with what we have,” he says.

As we talk, apart from a sweet attempt to do a bit of “wall art” with his crayon as we talk, their toddler’s behavior is angelic. “Our boy has autism, which mainly means his speech has been slower to develop, but he’s met all the other milestones now,” explains Charlie. “And he will now be moving into the same nursery class as kids his own age.”

A former adult social care manager, Charlie now works as a room leader at their son’s nursery, while Malachi’s at his admin job at a hospice. “I drop them both off at nursery every morning and pick them up!” says Malachi.

In the trans community, the couple – who are keen for people to see that they live like any average family – say their love story is rare.Malachi says most trans people are in same-sex relationships – in terms of the sex they were born – and conceive either using a sperm donor or IVF.

“I have found in the trans community that, pre-transition, trans men generally date women,” he says. “Then they transition and they still stay with women. There are not many trans gay couples because the gay community is not always very accepting. They see you as a fetish, or they’re like, ‘Oh I’m not really gay because I sleep with you because of your body parts.’”

This made meeting Charlie very refreshing. “I’ve always said, ‘if you don’t like trans people that’s totally fine. Preference is preference.’ But Charlie was like, ‘Well, let’s just go on a date, I don’t care.’ He saw beyond it.”

Charlie explains: “Plenty of people out there don’t care if someone is trans. I didn’t care that Mal still has whatever body parts.”

Malachi adds: “I’m just a man who has a vagina. If people want to see me another way, that’s their problem – not mine.”

OPINION

Siobhan McNally

On June 22, 1997, Malachi was born female, before being adopted at 18 months by a couple, along with his younger sister. He grew up with an older adopted brother and many foster children, whom his parents welcomed into their house in York.

Malachi has a warm relationship with his parents, and was never interested in contacting his birth parents, who he believes were drug addicts. Growing up, though, he felt different to other girls. “Since I was young, I felt something wasn’t right,” he recalls. “I couldn’t put it into words, but I knew I wasn’t who everyone thought I was.

“I hated dresses, long hair, and make-up. I was drawn to football, rugby, and hanging out with the boys.” Looking for answers online, he says: “I stumbled across a YouTube video of a trans man, and suddenly, I had the words I needed.”

Worried about explaining himself to his family, Malachi kept it a secret until, aged 17, he was outed by his sister.

“Mum was shocked at the time,” he says. After that, he presented as male, later changing his name by deed poll to Malachi Shadrach Clarke. “I chose both biblical names ‘Malachi’ and ‘Shadrach’ because my degree’s in theology, and I changed my surname to ‘Clarke’ because I love Rylan Clarke!” he giggles.

With an NHS waiting list of up to five years for hormones, he went private. “Within six weeks I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and I started on testosterone, aged 20, in June 2018,” he says. “After a few months, I started growing facial hair. My body hair thickened, my shape changed, and my voice deepened.”

The following year, in 2019, he paid £6,000 for top surgery, funded by working a 100-hour week. “If I want something, I go get it,” he says. “I think the trans community causes their own problems. Yes, there’s a long wait time. Access to our healthcare is difficult, but it’s the same for all sorts of health problems, not just gender.”

In May 2021, he legally registered as male, getting his gender recognition certificate the same month. His only concern was that his gender change would make meeting someone tricky. “I thought I wouldn’t have kids naturally because the opportunity wouldn’t arise. Then I fell in love with Charlie,” he says.

NHS guidelines recommend coming off testosterone at least three months before getting pregnant. Charlie, who had stopped 18 months before, says: “My features became a bit softer, and my facial hair got lighter, but I didn’t feel feminine – I just felt like myself.

“My periods restarted, and also my severe acne, which had been caused by testosterone, cleared up and my body’s reproductive system had kicked back in.”

After one negative pregnancy test, the couple tried again the second month, and Malachi tested positive – news they shared excitedly with friends and family.

He recalls, “Being pregnant made me feel more Malachi than any other part of my transition. I loved it and would happily be pregnant again. I don’t believe in gender roles. I’m not deluded to how the world has written biology – but it’s a societal construct. I felt like a man who has a reproductive system.”

While friends and family were overjoyed, the couple found their local NHS less understanding and when Malachi had a bleed during pregnancy, unhappy with their treatment, they opted for a private scan – which confirmed all was well.

After this experience, they opted for an elected caesarean section in Malachi’s hometown of York.

Even though he is legally male, Malachi is registered as the mother on the birth certificate, while Charlie is registered as the father. This anomaly means that he is both legally male and legally female simultaneously.

Unlike trans man Freddy McConnell, who conceived via sperm donor and fought in court for the right to be registered as a father on his child’s birth certificate, Malachi isn’t concerned.

“I don’t care that I’m down as mother on the birth certificate. I know who I am – I’m his dad,” he shrugs. “Yes, it would be lovely if the system was more progressive, but that change will come, there’s no need to shout about it.”

Both men accept that they will have to explain to Baby A that he has two dads and one of them was born female.

“We’re going to tell him he has two dads and how daddy made him,” says Malachi matter of factly. “He already has lots of baby-making children’s books in his room about all the family variations – from adoption to IVF and also Freddy McConnell’s book Little Seahorse And The Big Question, which explains how the male seahorse gives birth.

“So we’re just going to tell him everything. Yes, there is a potential for him to be bullied when he’s older, but we’re not that worried, and we’re hoping that the school he goes to will be inclusive and supportive.”

In their local community, the couple are welcomed by mums in the park who all want to meet their toddler because he’s so cute. “We will get questions like, ‘How did you have him?’ “Is he adopted?” says Charlie. “But I grew up here, so we never have any problems.”

However Malachi admits, “When we leave Tilehurst and go into town (Reading), we will get stares, because it’s two men and a baby.”

Soon the family of three hopes to become four. “I’m proud I gave birth as a man and want more children. We’d like a sibling for our son, so he always has a friend,” says Malachi, who went back on testosterone six weeks after his birth.

Fully prepared for another natural conception – even if it means stopping his hormone treatment again – he has no intention of having genital realignment any time in the future.

“I don’t see gender or becoming male or female as defined by surgeries. No, I don’t want multiple surgeries, they’re invasive and it doesn’t fully function intimately. Charlie and I are happy because it works for us.”

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