CD Projekt's 'Phantom Liberty' Rated Very Positive on Steam 

Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)
Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)
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CD Projekt's 'Phantom Liberty' Rated Very Positive on Steam 

Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)
Karolina Kaluzynska, 28, plays CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. (Reuters)

"Phantom Liberty", the long-awaited expansion to Polish video game developer CD Projekt's flagship game "Cyberpunk 2077", had received a "very positive" rating on Steam platform based on 1,067 user reviews just few hours after game's launch on Tuesday.

Cyberpunk 2077, which is offered at a 40% discount, has led the top sellers chart on Steam platform since Monday, with Phantom Liberty in second place.

The release of Phantom Liberty is CD Projekt's first major game premiere since bug-ridden launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020.

The expansion was released on PC and current-generation consoles. It offers a spy-thriller adventure, featuring two film stars - Keanu Reeves, known from the base game, who is back in the role of Johnny Silverhand and Idris Elba, who is playing the completely new character of Agent Solomon Reed.

The price of the expansion had been set at 99 zlotys ($22.74) for all platforms.

Phantom Liberty's PC version scored 89 points on the Metacritic 100-point scale after 47 critic reviews, with PlayStation 5 version scoring 88 points based on 43 critic reviews and Xbox Series X|S version hitting 89 points based on 12 critic reviews.

"Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077 at its best. CD Projekt Red has taken the lessons from the original release and focused on the parts that mattered most to deliver a thrilling and impactful experience (...)", GameSpot, an American video gaming website, said in a review.

The expansion is the last project to be developed on CD Projekt's own technology RED Engine, with the company switching to external Unreal Engine for its upcoming developments, that include Cyberpunk sequel.



Dell Raises Forecasts as Demand Surges for Nvidia Powered AI Servers 

The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)
The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)
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Dell Raises Forecasts as Demand Surges for Nvidia Powered AI Servers 

The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)
The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Dell Technologies raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts on Thursday, buoyed by demand for its AI-optimized servers that are powered by Nvidia's powerful chips, sending its shares up about 3% in extended trading.

Dell's infrastructure solutions group, which includes Nvidia-powered servers, surged 38% to a record revenue of $11.65 billion in the second quarter.

The company's servers are engineered to handle AI systems' intense computational demands, including training large language models.

"Enterprise remains a significant opportunity for us, as many are still in the early stages of AI adoption," Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said in a post-earnings call.

Clarke said that Dell sees an emerging opportunity in "sovereign AI" by leveraging the company's strong relationships with governments globally.

Nvidia on Wednesday said nations building AI models in their own languages were turning to its chips, and that this would contribute about low double-digit billions to its revenue in the financial year ending in January 2025.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called out the partnership with Dell earlier this year, saying they were helping businesses create their own "AI factories."

Dell's stock has risen 45% this year.

Dell said on Thursday it now expects annual revenue outlook to be between $95.5 billion and $98.5 billion, up from $93.5 billion and $97.5 billion previously. It also raised its annual adjusted profit per share forecast to $7.80, plus or minus 25 cents.

Demand for its AI-optimized servers rose about 23% sequentially to $3.2 billion in the second quarter. The backlog for these AI servers was $3.8 billion.

"Our pipeline has grown to several multiples of our backlog," Clarke said in a statement.

Revenue for the second quarter ended Aug. 2 rose about 9% to $25.03 billion, beating analysts' average estimate of $24.14 billion, according to LSEG data. It reported adjusted profit per share of $1.89 per share, compared with estimates of $1.71 per share.

While AI server demand soared, Dell's PC business struggled, losing market share to rivals. However, a strong refresh cycle for

AI PCs are expected next year after Microsoft ends support for Windows 10.

Revenue for the client solutions group - home to PCs - fell about 4% to $12.41 billion.

"Dell lost PC shipment shares in key markets in the second quarter. It is the top vendor in the US business market, but its competitors have shown growth and gained more shares than they did a year ago," said Mikako Kitagawa, director analyst at Gartner.

The company took a $328 million charge for workforce reductions in the second quarter.

Separately, Reuters exclusively reported earlier on Thursday that Dell is again exploring a possible sale of cybersecurity firm SecureWorks, following previous unsuccessful attempts to find a buyer.