Predator: Hunting Grounds Adding Big Head Mode and More

Last month, Epic Games' battle royale Fortnite added cosmetics based on Predator, the classic 1987 sci-fi film that spawned an ongoing franchise. However, that has not been the only video game where fans can take command over one of the universe's deadliest hunters. Illfonic's asymmetrical title Predator: Hunting Grounds has been around since early 2020, and just today it announced its latest DLC expansion.

The game has received seven hybrid free and paid DLC expansions throughout its life thus far, the most recent set adding NFL running back Marshawn Lynch into Predator: Hunting Grounds last December. Prior DLC has included characters such as Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch from the original film, but the eighth set gives the Predator a new look that Illfonic lead gameplay engineer Lucas Pederson told PlayStation Blog is inspired by Norse mythology.

Valkyrie Predator is available as part of the paid DLC, and is described as a "hit and run character" with a two-handed Norse Hammer that is "Predator's interpretation of Odin's vision for superior god-like weaponry," according to Pederson. However, the free update released alongside this adds Custom Private matches to Predator: Hunting Grounds, which allows players to tweak stats for different matches and also use fun modifiers reminiscent of old cheat codes. For example, there is a "Big Head Mode" and a "Floor is Lava" mode that kills Predator if they touch the ground.

Pederson outlines more things for fans to look forward to, such as more customizable Field Lockers, and said there is a sneak peek of the next Predator class drop hidden in the game's Dutch tapes. The new custom game modes and Valkyrie Predator, fitting a pattern of Norse-related content in titles like Dying Light, should give fans plenty to do while they wait for more content to arrive.

The Steam weekly sales charts, as measured by revenue and not overall unit sales, has seen another shake-up. After several weeks of Rust dominating the chart to start off 2021, new indie game releases have shifted things dramatically. Last week saw the Chinese space expansion game Dyson Sphere Program take the lead, and this week the Early Access release of Valheim, a new cooperative multiplayer survival game, is in high demand.

While Steam doesn't provide revenue numbers or any specific sales information as part of its weekly top-sellers list, Valheim's success is self-evident. The new game launched this past Tuesday and is already boasting over 100,000 concurrent players. Its peak topped off above 131,000, so suffice to say the game has likely already sold hundreds of thousands of copies. For an indie game just launching in Early Access, it's blowing away all expectations.

In second place is another surprise returning game from the top of the chart last week. Tale of Immortal is a Chinese open-world game that continues to be very popular, even crossing 175,000 concurrent players. In comparison, last week's number one game, Dyson Sphere Program, has dropped down to sixth on the list.

After Valheim and Tale of Immortal, the new Nioh 2 Complete Edition release has taken third. Fourth is Total War: Warhammer 3, which launches later this year but is already on sale via pre-purchase. In fifth is the Valve Index VR Kit, followed by Dyson Sphere Program, Rust, Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition. Altogether a mix of brand-new titles and returning favorites.