It looks like the concerns raised by last year's video game loot box controversies are still prevalent in the minds of politicians over in the US. This week, Hawaii's representative outlined four bill proposals that would age-gate games considered to contain a ‘gambling element'. In addition, a US senator sent …
Read More »Sicario 2 director might helm Call of Duty movie adaptation
Just about every video game experience is turning to the silver screen, from Metal Gear Solid to Sleeping Dogs, but one of the less cinematic experiences in the works to receive the Hollywood treatment is Call of Duty. It seems that production is going smooth, with some big names being …
Read More »Insel Games removed from Steam for strong arming employees to review its own game
Maltese video game publisher Insel Games has been under fire recently, as an employee email leaked suggesting that it was pressuring its staff to write positive emails on its latest title Wild Busters. Strictly prohibited in Valve’s terms and conditions, this has led to the studio being forcibly removed from …
Read More »The ESA responds to Hawaii’s loot box regulation proposals
Earlier this week, we learned that Hawaii representative, Chris Lee, had made some progress on his crusade against loot boxes in video games. Lee first gained recognition for this last year after speaking out against Star Wars Battlefront II's loot box system. Now, the legislator has proposed four new bills …
Read More »Rumor: Disney/LucasFilm considering giving the Star Wars license to new game developers
Since EA acquired the exclusive rights to make Star Wars video games back in 2013, the publisher hasn't done a lot of good with it. So far, we've had two questionable Battlefront games and one cancelled single-player project. Now it seems that the backlash to Battlefront II may have been …
Read More »Microsoft is building a new Skype client to circumvent system permissions bug
Microsoft has confirmed that Skype is currently experiencing a security flaw that can endow attackers with system-level privileges, something which is often reserved for the operating system exclusively. Unfortunately for users of the communication platform, it looks like the company isn’t planning on fixing it at all, instead opting for …
Read More »Spyro the Dragon said to be next up for remaster, Crash Bandicoot could come to Xbox and PC
Since the release and subsequent success of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, many have expected publisher Activision to continue breathing new life into classic games. Fan favourite Spyro the Dragon has been pegged as next in line, which might no longer be a pipe dream thanks to sources close …
Read More »Twitch rivals CNN and other US cable news networks in viewership
Livestreaming platform Twitch has continuously grown since Amazon’s $970 million acquisition, evolving into something more. Now, the website pulls in as many viewers as major cable news networks over in the US. Last month, Twitch managed to hold an average of 962,000 viewers at any given point, and while there …
Read More »THQ Nordic has acquired Koch Media, the owner of Deep Silver, Saints Row and Dead Island
It looks like THQ Nordic is about to expand its roster of games. The publisher already has a new IP launching this year called ‘Biomutant', alongside Darksiders III. Now, THQ Nordic will be expanding further with the acquisition of Koch Media, the company that owns Deep Silver, and by extension, …
Read More »Following on from Season 1’s success, the Overwatch League could get much more expensive to join
Back when Blizzard was still getting the Overwatch League up and running, we learned that the publisher had set a $20 million buy-in price for franchises wanting their team to have a spot on the league. Since then, the Overwatch League has officially kicked off and is already considered to …
Read More »Hawaii moves forward on loot box regulation, proposing four new bills
Hawaii representative Chris Lee has made some progress on his crusade against loot boxes, originally vilifying EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II as a ‘Star Wars-themed online casino’ because of the practice. The legislator has now proposed four new bills in hopes of prompting transparency in the gaming industry as well …
Read More »The Left 4 Dead 3 Facebook tease was fake, Valve has updated the Left 4 Dead website
Update (13/02/18): Over the weekend, someone managed to get the rumor mill swirling by hijacking the Left 4 Dead 2 Facebook page link. The troll in question managed to assign the link to a fake personal page for Valve developer, Ted Carson, who has been tied to Left 4 Dead …
Read More »Ubisoft reveals the five types of alien hybrids that will swarm Rainbow Six Siege during Outbreak event
Rainbow Six Siege’s upcoming Outbreak event has already been likened to that of pre-established zombies modes, however Team Rainbow will be up against a much different threat than your average undead. Ahead of its March 6th launch, Ubisoft has revealed details on the five types of otherworldly enemies that players …
Read More »Sea of Thieves system requirements are here, with targets for 540p, 720p, 1080p and 4K
Sea of Thieves is just over a month away from launch. The final beta test has wrapped up, microtransaction plans have been laid out, and now it is time to take a look at the various system requirements, including recommended hardware for 1080p/60, 4K/60 and even sub-HD resolutions. Rare is …
Read More »YouTube CEO defends decision not to kick Logan Paul from the platform entirely
In the wake of Logan Paul’s controversial behaviour, YouTube has faced increasing pressure to kick the online celebrity from its platform entirely. CEO Susan Wokcicki has defended the platform’s decision to temporarily suspend Paul’s advertisement revenue as sufficient punishment for the crime and that the controversial content creator hadn’t actually …
Read More »Ubisoft has learned two important lessons: giving devs more time yields better results and quality PC games sell
Ubisoft has had some stumbles over the years, but 2017 might have been one of the best for the publisher yet. We saw several excellent new game launches, which were bolstered by recurring content updates for older games like Rainbow Six Siege. This has naturally led to sales growth, with …
Read More »Rare says Sea of Thieves will never implement loot crates
Sea of Thieves is just over a month away from release, and although developer Rare will be helping its players simulate the life of a pirate, it’s keen on keeping its own shady practices to a minimum. As such, while microtransactions are a possibility somewhere down the line, the more …
Read More »UK motorist convicted of speeding blames Grand Theft Auto
It’s been quite some time since a video game was publicly blamed for the real-world crimes of an individual but that hasn’t stopped Grand Theft Auto (GTA) from remaining the go-to scapegoat. Rockstar’s morally questionable series has been on the receiving end of many accusations, with the latest coming from …
Read More »New Kingdom Hearts III trailer takes players into the world of Monsters Inc.
After a long 12-year wait since its predecessor, Kingdom Hearts III is due at some point this year. The D23 Expo in Japan unfortunately didn’t narrow its window of release, however it did give us a first look at its new theme music from returning singer Hikaru Utada and an …
Read More »Razer to suspend its Paid to Play program in March
For the past year, Razer has been experimenting with its own points reward system, allowing players to play eligible games with its Cortex desktop software running in the background to earn digital currency. Razer has announced that this “Paid to Play” scheme will be suspended as of March 1st due …
Read More »Rust has left Early Access with a visual overhaul and a few other changes
This month, we saw Rust finally leave Steam Early Access after four years inside the program. Garry Newman announced that this would be happening a few weeks back and now that the big day has arrived, we get to look at the patch notes for Rust version 1.0, with the …
Read More »For Honor is finally getting dedicated servers this month
Seven months ago, Ubisoft announced that at long last, it would be bringing dedicated servers to For Honor on PC. It has been a long time coming, but the company has finally set a date, with the medieval fighter getting a networking upgrade on the 19th of February. Over the …
Read More »Over half of Activision Blizzard’s financial earnings come from microtransactions
Activision Blizzard has released another record breaking financial earnings report for the company, resulting in its stock steadily rising. Unfortunately for many, this showcases why the controversial practice of microtransactions isn’t going anywhere any time soon. In total, Activision made a record $7.16 billion in revenue throughout 2017, up from …
Read More »YouTube issues a temporary suspension to Logan Paul’s ad revenue in hopes of setting an example
Just weeks after his international incident exploiting a suicide victim, Logan Paul is back at it again, this time abusing deceased animals as a form of entertainment. This has prompted YouTube to step in, issuing a punishment to the controversial content creator in hopes of setting an example. Paul, whose …
Read More »Fortnite surpassed PUBG’s peak player count for the first time, but servers couldn’t keep up
We were all impressed when PUBG soared to the top of Steam's concurrent player charts with 3.2 million players all online at once. However, it looks like Epic's Fortnite Battle Royale is now giving it some serious competition. Over the weekend, Fortnite managed to hit 3.4 million peak concurrent players, …
Read More »Twitch responds to hateful content by issuing new community & streamer guidelines
As the service continues to grow, Twitch is attempting to quell toxic behavior by updating its community guidelines. The latest changes target harassment and sexual content, in which any reports will be treated in a holistic manner with zero tolerance. “Over the past several months, you’ve told us certain sections …
Read More »Relic is leaving Dawn of War 3 behind to focus on other projects
We only just saw Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 launch at the end of April last year. Unfortunately since then, the game suffered to really capture a player base and a quick look at the Steam reviews will show that many Warhammer 40K fans have problems with the game. …
Read More »Loot boxes might soon be classified as gambling in Sweden
Following the announcement that Germany’s Youth Protection Commission is considering an outright ban on loot boxes, Sweden will potentially be classifying the practice as gambling by early 2019. The shift in categorisation would mean that any game to include loot boxes would be subject to much harsher regulations under Swedish …
Read More »Sharkoon swaps leather with breathable fabric for new affordable SKILLER SGS2 gaming chairs
When you spend hours a day sat at a desk, it is important to make sure you have a comfortable place to sit with plenty of back support. We've seen a big rise in the gaming chair market over the last few years because of this but many options end …
Read More »YouTube’s recommended videos algorithm is promoting controversial content
Over the course of its near 13-year life, YouTube has refined its system to provide its users with the optimal viewing experience alongside ways to discover more content catered to their preference. Sometimes, however, things don’t go to plan. YouTube’s recommended video algorithm has unfortunately been leading viewers astray with …
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