NVIDIA and Intel alliance, Borderlands 4, AC Shadows DLC, and the launch of EA FC26: September Games Roundup

Nvidia Intel alliance, Borderlands 4 performance issues, Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC, EA FC26 review, September gaming news, Claws of Awaji gameplay, Intel government bailout, RTX GPU compatibility, EA Ultimate Team updates, gaming news roundup

NVIDIA and Intel: A marriage of convenience?

Let’s begin by looking at one of the less unconventional announcements from the US government: its decision to acquire a 10 per cent stake in Intel by spending nearly 9 billion dollars of taxpayers’ money to bail out the struggling chipmaker.

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In recent years, Intel has failed to keep pace with AMD’s microprocessors and has steadily ceded market leadership. The government’s move was quickly followed by a further 5-billion-dollar investment from Nvidia, which is eyeing potential synergies between Intel’s x86 chips and its own RTX GPUs.

While both the US government and Nvidia’s investments might seem “anti-market” in the classical sense, the moves align with the current Trump administration’s emphasis on strengthening domestic chip manufacturing and securing an upper hand in computation and AI capabilities.

Early announcements surrounding the deal have clarified that Nvidia’s stake is not expected to interfere with the development of Intel’s ARC lineup of GPUs, but is instead focused on the potential synergies between Intel’s CPUs and Nvidia’s GPUs.

This will be an interesting development to follow in the long run, and it remains to be seen whether it can revive Intel’s fortunes and perhaps even usher in a new era of “Wintel”-like dominance reminiscent of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Gamers, however, must observe these developments cautiously, as the Intel–Nvidia partnership could lead to SoC preference and potentially limit the availability of Nvidia RTX chips for custom builds. This is particularly concerning since the most optimal configurations at the moment remain an AMD 3D chip paired with an RTX GPU.

Borderlands 4: A solid open world, let down by optimisation issues

The fourth entry in the looter-shooter franchise Borderlands dropped on the 12th of September, and its launch was surrounded by optimisation issues, primarily on the PC, as players struggled to achieve stable framerates and consistent performance.

The problems aren’t limited to PC gamers, though, because reports show that even on consoles like the PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X, performance dips after the first 30 minutes and continues to decline the longer you play. In other words, the more time you spend in-game, the worse it runs, with players being advised to reset the game at hourly intervals.

Gearbox has acknowledged the performance issues and has indicated that improvements are incoming, but in the meantime, CEO Randy Pitchford has told players to get a refund if they aren’t happy with the experience.

AC Shadows’ Claws of Awaji: Improving on an already great experience

The 16th of September also saw the arrival of Claws of Awaji, the DLC to Ubisoft’s 2025 smash hit, Shadows. A ten-hour journey that I am still wrapping up, the new additions provide a wonderful continuation of Naoe’s story and offer deeper background on her parentage—particularly her mother Tsuyu’s journey as a master assassin.

Here, reliance on stealth and the game’s shadow mechanics is a must. I have thoroughly enjoyed my return to AC Japan and recommend you do the same.

With more focused gameplay, a tight narrative, and some wonderful scenarios, there’s a lot to like the second time around.

EAFC26: Improved and playable, but will it last?

Succeeding the worst football sim title is no easy task, but for FC26, EA claims to have listened to fans and player feedback to rework both gameplay and overall experience. With significant additions to the Manager and Player Career modes, there’s an overhaul to the FC experience for those who like their simulated football offline.

For players who prefer the online Ultimate Team experience, the gameplay feels lighter, player movements are more agile, and the overall experience comes across as more focused on quick passing.

EA promises a slower, gentler power curve in UT, and while the early pre-launch experience seems more like FIFA18, there’s no guarantee that the fluidity and responsiveness will remain after the first few updates.