S.O.P.H.I.A.
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Posts posted by S.O.P.H.I.A.
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Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii believes modern advancements in game graphics make silent protagonists "look like an idiot".
Horii recently discussed the topic of RPGs with Metaphor: ReFantazio director and producer Katsura Hashino, an excerpt of which was published by Denfaminicogamer (thanks Automaton).
One challenge Horii believes the Dragon Quest franchise is facing is how a protagonist should be depicted now that graphics have become more realistic - allowing for more detailed and expressive designs.
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The entirety of Blizzard's 500-strong World of Warcraft development team have unionised, making it the largest group within Microsoft's gaming teams to do so thus far.
Around 1750 employees within Microsoft's gaming teams are now unionised, Bloomberg reported yesterday, including those working on Blizzard's veteran MMO.
World of Warcraft developers will now be represented by the Communication Workers of America (CWA), which celebrated the inclusion of Blizzard staff yesterday in a statement which dubbed the joining as the "first wall-to-wall union at Activision Blizzard", and "a key inflection point in the broader movement for video game worker organising industry-wide".
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Fallout: London, the fan-made game-sized mod for Fallout 4, will be released today. The mod's creators confirmed the release to Inverse - saying the date was now definite, "unless nuclear war happens".
Developed by Team Folon, the mod has been over five years in the making and transports the post-apocalyptic game to England's capital city, with a whole new story, environments, characters, factions, weapons, and gameplay elements.
Due to its size it won't be available on popular mod hosting sites, so is instead available on GOG with a custom launcher.
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Concord, the upcoming 5v5 hero shooter from Sony's Firewalk Studios, is bucking the battle pass trend, with its developer telling players, "You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you."
Firewalk Studios announced the news in a series of posts on social media, explaining Concord won't have a battle pass because it "wanted to focus [its] attention on making Concord a rewarding and robust experience on day one, where just playing the game, levelling up your accounts and characters, and completing jobs yields meaningful rewards."
In a seperate post, Concord gameplay animation director Mark DeRidder wrote, "No Battle Pass, folks. You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you."
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Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has said it will once again allow players to purchase the free-to-play shooter's battle passes with in-game premium currency after it announced it would only be selling them for real money starting in Season 22.
Earlier this month, Respawn unveiled a number of controversial changes to Apex Legends' existing battle pass system, in a move it insisted would provide more "value" to players. One of these changes will see the current season-long Battle Pass essentially split in two, with Respawn charging players full price for each half-season premium pass across the same amount of time.
However, the change that attracted perhaps the most fan ire was Respawn's decision to begin charging real money for its battle passes, and no longer enable players to purchase them with premium currency. That's significant as Apex Legends' premium battle passes have traditionally rewarded enough premium currency to purchase the next season's pass.
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Sure, TV seems to be doing a decent job of making video game adaptations that don't utterly suck these days, but the movie world's still waiting for its The Last of Us moment. Will it come in the form Gearbox's soon-to-be-released Borderlands film? Probably not, but if it's brightly coloured chaos you're after, you can expect plenty of that judging by its newly released "final" trailer - which has been shared ahead of the movie's August launch.
The Borderlands movie has, of course, been a long time coming; it was initially announced back in 2015, with Saw and Insidious co-creator Leigh Whannell at one point rumoured to be attached. Then, just as it looked like the project had been consigned to the celluloid graveyard, it unexpectedly resurfaced in February 2020, this time with Hostel director Eli Roth at the helm.
Since then, we've seen a succession of eyebrow raising casting announcements - with Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gina Gershiwn, and Jack Black all signing on to star - alongside a bit of behind-the-scenes shuffling, as new scriptwriters came onboard and Eli Roth briefly stepped aside during reshoots.
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/24/6d942371/brdrlnds-dom-1sht.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Borderlands movie final trailer" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>We’re not far off from the August 9 premiere of <em>Borderlands</em>, and Lionsgate is giving the final hard sell for the upcoming adaptation in the form of a new trailer.</p> <p>Like the first game, <em>Borderlands</em> centers on a group of gun-toting Vault hunters searching for treasure on the planet Pandora. They also get roped up to save a mysterious girl who holds the key to a great power. If you’re still not sure what to make of the film after watching its <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/gamer-culture/2024/02/21/the-borderlands-movies-first-trailer-looks-as-ridiculous-as-the-games">first trailer</a>, hopefully, this last preview will help you decide whether or not you’ll be making the trip to theaters in a couple of weeks to see it. </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Icnysn53neU" width="640"></iframe> <p><em>Borderlands</em> is directed by Eli Roth and stars Cate Blanchett (Lilith), Kevin Hart (Roland), Arianna Greenblatt (Tiny Tina), Jack Black (Claptrap), Edgar Ramírez (Atlas), Florian Munteanu (Krieg), Gina Gershon (Moxxi), and Jamie Lee Curtis (Tannis).</p>
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/24/74dbae80/mutliversus_batman_shaggy.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Warner Bros. Game Acquires Player First Games" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Warner Bros. Games has acquired Player First Games, the developer of its cross-over platform fighter MultiVersus. The price of the sale was not disclosed, but according to a <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240722944100/en/Warner-Bros.-Games-Acquires-Player-First-Games">press release</a>, Player First Games will continue to operate under its current leadership of co-founders <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/interview/2022/05/30/an-interview-with-multiversus-director-tony-huynh">Tony Huynh</a> and Chris White. </p> <p>The announcement comes only a couple of months after MultiVersus' <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/03/11/multiversus-is-back-in-action-this-may" target="_blank">relaunch</a> on May 28. Player First Games served as a work-for-hire studio on the game, and Warner Bros. is apparently pleased enough with its performance to formally bring the studio in-house. The move comes only a few days after Warner Bros. <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/mortal-kombat-mobile-game-to-shut-down-a-year-after-launch-as-developer-netherrealm-suffers-layoffs">shuttered the entire mobile division</a> of Mortal Kombat developer Netherrealm Studios. </p> <p>“We have worked with Player First Games over several years to create and launch MultiVersus, and we are very pleased to welcome this talented team to Warner Bros. Games,” said David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Games. “The bright and creative team at Player First Games adds to our extensive development capabilities.”</p> <p>“Our team is excited to join the Warner Bros. Games family, and we feel that this will be great for MultiVersus overall,” Huynh said. “We are working to make the MultiVersus game experience the best it can be and having our development team integrated with the publisher is optimum for the players.”</p> <p>MultiVersus is a 2v2 spin on the Super Smash Bros. blueprint that pits a variety of characters from different Warner Bros. properties against each other. It was first launched in open beta in 2022 (read our review of that version <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/review/multiversus/packing-a-punch">here</a>), then taken down months later to be rebuilt and expanded before returning this year. MultiVersus recently kicked off its second content season, and it has received new fighters such as <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/13/check-out-the-jokers-multiversus-gameplay-and-the-batman-who-laughs-alternate-costume">The Joker</a>, <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/news/2024/05/20/multiversus-launch-trailer-reveals-jason-voorhees-and-the-matrixs-agent-smith">Agent Smith</a>, <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/23/jason-voorhees-gets-a-dedicated-multiversus-trailer">Jason Voorhees</a>, and the recently announced <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/07/22/samurai-jack-and-beetlejuice-are-headed-to-multiversus">Samurai Jack and Beetlejuice</a>.</p>
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/23/cacd8c33/tcofs_bts2_tn.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="The Casting of Frank Stone behind the scenes video" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>The Casting of Frank Stone is <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/cover-reveal/2024/07/23/cover-reveal-the-casting-of-frank-stone"><em>Game Informer</em>’s latest cover story</a>, and we can exclusively premiere a new behind-the-scenes video peeling back the curtain on the game's development. </p> <p>In this video, you’ll learn more about the game’s setting of Cedar Hills from Supermassive Games' creative team. You'll also see the tools and technology used to bring this deceptively quaint town to life. </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_m7li889gqM" width="640"></iframe> <p>The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Be sure to visit our cover story hub for more exclusive stories and videos by clicking the banner below.</p>
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It looks like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is on its way to Xbox Game Pass next month.
That's according to leaker eXtas1stv, who previously correctly leaked that Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 would arrive on Game Pass on 24th July, which was officially confirmed yesterday.
The leaker suggests the Crash trilogy will be available from 8th August, claiming it's "100 percent confirmed".
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/19/5b74fe5a/dragon_age_header.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Dragon Age: The Veilguard Art Book Dark Horse Comics" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p><em>Game Informer </em>can exclusively reveal Dark Horse's upcoming art book for BioWare's <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/DragonAgeTheVeilguard">Dragon Age: The Veilguard</a>, aptly titled "The Art Of Dragon Age: The Veilguard." Additional details about the book, including a price and release date, will arrive at a later time.</p> <p>However, with today's news that such an art book is in the works, we have your first look at it, with its cover image below: </p> <a class="linkoriginal" data-featherlight="image" href=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/2024/07/19/544b13fb/dragon_age_art_cover.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" alt="" /> </a> <p>Coming from Dark Horse Comics, a publication company responsible for all kinds of video game related books and comics, including a similar art book for 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition, "The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard" will likely feature official game art, concept art, and more. That's just a guess for now, though – we'll have to wait to learn more. </p> <p>In the meantime, <a href="https://subscription.gameinformer.com/">Dragon Age: The Veilguard graced the cover of our last </a><em><a href="https://subscription.gameinformer.com/">Game Informer</a> </em>issue. <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/cover-reveal/2024/06/09/cover-reveal-dragon-age-the-veilguard">You can check that out here</a>, and in case you missed it, <em>Game Informer </em>has an entire <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/DragonAgeTheVeilguard">hub</a> full of exclusive details about the game from our visit to BioWare earlier this year. There, you'll find deep dives into companions, behind-the-scenes features, interviews with some of the leads of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and much more. Head there by clicking the banner below. </p>
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Sony has detailed its a fresh wave of PlayStation 5 features set to be tested as part of its next system software beta update.
This will include "adaptive charging", designed to save power if you have plugged in controllers to charge while your console is in rest mode.
The feature can monitor charge levels in any plugged-in pads and adjust the power supplied to their connected USB ports appropriately.
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Twitch has updated its policy on sexual harassment, and added a new category to its AutoMod tool, to improve safety on its platform.
In a new blog post titled "How we're combatting sexual harassment on Twitch", the streaming platform highlights clarifications to its policy.
"While our policy remains largely unchanged, these updates are designed to make the policy easier to understand," it reads. "Sexual harassment is never okay or acceptable. It harms our community, can make those targeted feel unsafe and disrespected, and can discourage them and others from participating on Twitch. We want our service to be the best and safest place to stream, and that means drawing clear boundaries around what behaviours are and aren't allowed."
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Mario + Rabbids lead developer Davide Soliani is leaving Ubisoft after 25 years.
Soliani spent 11 years working on the two Mario + Rabbids games, released on Switch in 2017 and 2022 in conjunction with Nintendo. The developer is yet to reveal what he'll be working on next, beyond embarking on "a new adventure".
"Hi all folks. After 25 years, 11 of which beautifully spent working with Nintendo on Mario+Rabbids along the company of our incredible community of players, I have decided to leave Ubisoft to embark on a new adventure," he wrote on social media site X. "I can't say more now. Thanks a lot for everything, truly."
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The remaster of 2011 action-adventure Shadows of the Damned is set to release this Halloween.
Developer Grasshopper Manufacture announced the remaster last year, which will release across PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It's a cult-classic demon-shooting game written by Suda 51 (Killer 7) and produced by Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil).
News of the release date - and live pre-orders - was included in a new trailer filled with gore and screams. I'm not joking, you might want headphones for this one.
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Sony has released its latest PlayStation 5 system software update, introducing shareable links so players can invite others to quickly jump into their multiplayer sessions.
Sony first revealed it was working on shareable multiplayer links for PlayStation 5 back in May. And now, two and a bit months later, the feature (albeit seemingly with certain announced elements still to come) is here as part of the snappily titled 24.05-09.60.00 PS5 update.
"To invite other players [to a game]," explains Sony's patch notes, "open the game session action card and select Share Link. Then, scan the QR code with your mobile device to share the link." The company notes the feature only works for open sessions that anyone can join.
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Nintendo has formally revoked the Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024 winning team's title after racist messages sent by several of its members surfaced online.
This year's Splatoon 3 World Championship was held in April, with six teams competing for the crown. North American team Jackpot was eventually named the winner, but the four-person group became embroiled in controversy this June, after Discord and social media chats showing some of its members engaging in racist behaviour began circulating on social media.
And now, roughly six weeks later, Nintendo has officially rescinded Jackpot's winning title, albeit without explicitly specifying the reason behind its decision.
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UPDATE 24/7/24 3pm UK: Humble Games has denied using AI to write yesterday's statement that characterised the reported layoffs of the brand's entire staff as a "restructuring".
Responding to a series of follow-up questions from Eurogamer, a Humble Games spokesperson declined to confirm details provided earlier by former Humble Bundle creative lead Chris Radley, reported below, that the changes amounted to the Humble Games brand winding down its work for good, with a third-party firm brought in temporarily to handle any leftover work.
"Humble Games operations will continue as per the statement," the spokesperson said, when asked whether any new titles might still be signed in future.
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/23/f6486ae3/helldivers2eofart.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Helldivers 2 has been one of 2024’s biggest successes, and developer Arrow Head Games is prepping to launch its most substantial update yet. Escalation of Freedom is an upcoming update that adds new missions, new hazards, and, of course, new bugs.</p> <p>Arriving on August 6, Escalation of Freedom challenges players with a new level 10 difficulty and introduces new mission objectives, such as locating and extracting a crying larva that attracts Terminids. The game also receives new, larger fortress-like outposts for players to capture. The swamp biome gets a spookier facelift, and acid storms can now reduce the armor for players and enemies so both sides take greater damage. New Terminids and Automatons will clash with players, and Arrow Head Games teases that Escalation of Freedom features more surprises players will have to discover on their own. Check out the trailer for a look at what's to come. </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pQl2BmhSCsA" width="640"></iframe> <p>Escalation of Freedom also brings quality-of-life improvements including an update to address grief kicking. Per the <a href="https://blog.playstation.com/2024/07/23/helldivers-2s-biggest-update-yet-escalation-of-freedom-drops-august-6/">PlayStation Blog</a>, the game is getting "a system where if a player is kicked, they will spawn into a new session as the host with all of the team’s loot from their previous session. All items can now be picked up by the player before extraction. The squad doing the kicking will see a message in the chat widget that a player has been kicked, yet their loot remains unchanged."</p> <p>For more on Helldivers 2, check out <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/review/helldivers-2/bullet-heaven">our review</a>.</p>
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/24/ed50847d/the-casting-of-frank-stone-portal.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="The Casting of Frank Stone Game Informer cover story" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now read all about our trip to learn about The Casting of Frank Stone from the universe of Dead by Daylight! Following <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/cover-reveal/2024/07/23/cover-reveal-the-casting-of-frank-stone">the cover reveal</a> our digital issue is now live on <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/magazine" target="_blank">web browsers</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/game-informer/id526096699?mt=8" target="_blank">iPad/iPhone</a>, and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameinformer.tablet&hl=en_US" target="_blank">Android devices</a>.</p> <p>Alongside our 10-page The Casting of Frank Stone cover story, you will also find a six-page feature on the development and success of Dead by Daylight, a deep dive into how the Splatoon 3 community developed a speedrun for the game's latest DLC, an in-depth retrospective on the creation of Vampire Survivors with its creator, six pages on Visions of Mana, a look at the success of publisher Devolver Digital on its anniversary, and lots more! We've also got previews for Avowed, Lego Horizon Adventures, Monster Hunter Wilds, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Infinity Nikki, and reviews for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Still Wakes the Deep, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition, and much more!</p> <p>If you love print as much as we do, you can subscribe to the <em>physical</em> magazine:</p> <p style="text-align:center;"><a class="button-subscribe" href="https://subscription.gameinformer.com" target="_blank">Subscribe Now</a></p> <p>You get 10 issues for $19.91, or two years and 20 issues for $34.99. Individual issues are also now available <a href="https://www.gamestop.com/search/?q=gi+magazine&lang=default" target="_blank">for purchase at this link</a> or in any GameStop store.</p> <p>You can download the apps to read the issue <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/magazine" target="_blank">by following this link</a>.</p>
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2023/11/13/b1735c88/ss_d211e5ca254c63c734d38ee674418ed27ca86d8b.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Xbox Game Pass" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be available on Xbox Game Pass tomorrow, July 24. This marks the next big Activision Blizzard title to join the service. </p> <p>The move comes less than a year after Modern Warfare III launched last November and represents the fruit of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year. It’s also the biggest AB title to appear on Game Pass since <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/03/19/marchs-xbox-game-pass-line-up-has-diablo-iv-and-cars-galore">Diablo IV was added to the library</a> in March.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/azOmcIVpj6Y" width="640"></iframe> <p>This gives subscribers a chance to check out last year’s entry before 2024’s installment, <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2024/06/09/hoping-to-sprint-in-the-right-direction">Call of Duty: Black Ops 6</a>, launches on Game Pass on October 25. It also comes ahead of the new <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/07/10/price-increases-and-new-tiers-are-coming-to-xbox-game-pass">Game Pass price increases and subscription tier</a> arriving in September, a move the FTC <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/07/19/the-ftc-pushes-back-against-xbox-game-pass-price-increases">has taken issue with</a>. </p> <p>You can read our review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/review/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-iii/not-so-special-ops">here</a>.</p>
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Amid of swirl of rumours suggesting Microsoft was prepping more Call of Duty for an imminent Xbox Game Pass release, the company has confirmed last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will join on its subscription service this Wednesday, 24th July.
As per Microsoft's announcement, Game Pass subscribers will have access to all Modern Warfare 3 modes, meaning its single-player campaign, multiplayer, and open-world Zombies.
Modern Warfare 3 is only the second Activision Blizzard title to hit Game Pass since Microsoft's $69bn acquisition of the company last year, with Diablo 4 having launched for the subscription service back in March. It's not the only announced Activision title for Game Pass, of course; this year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available to subscribers when it arrives on 24th October.
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UPDATE 5.30pm UK: Roblox has responded further to Bloomberg's article, and has now said the report fails to properly contextualise the scale of the game's issues with player safety versus the size of its platform.
"A recent article contained glaring mischaracterisations about how we protect users of all ages on the platform and failed to reflect both the complexities of online child safety and the realities of the overwhelmingly positive experiences that tens of millions of people of all ages have on Roblox every single day," a Roblox spokesperson said in a statement to Eurogamer, providing a link to a lengthy blog post by the company's chief safety officer Matt Kaufman.
ORIGINAL STORY 4.30pm UK: Roblox's record on child safety has come under fire yet again, this time in a damning new Bloomberg report that details the scale of the issue faced by the game's developers, who are unable to keep all of its young players safe.
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Helldivers 2 will receive its biggest update yet in August, bringing higher difficulty, greater mission variety, and more.
Escalation of Freedom is the name of the update, which will arrive on 6th August. Details have been provided on the PlayStation Blog from social media and community manager at developer Arrowhead, Katherine Baskin.
The update will also add new enemy types, including a favourite from the first game, and will make steps to mitigate the problem of grief kicking.
Double Fine offers Kinect Party free codes as Xbox 360 digital store closure nears
in Gaming News & Releases Feeds
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The team at Double Fine is offering Xbox 360 owners free digital codes for Kinect Party - the sequel to its eccentric title Happy Action Theater - ahead of the console's digital store closure later this month.
As a reminder, Microsoft is set to close its Xbox 360 digital store on 29th July, as announced last year. In addition, the Microsoft Movies & TV app on the Xbox 360 will no longer function. Following this date, users will still be able to play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles via backward compatibility.
To prepare for this closure, developer Double Fine - which is also known for the likes of Psychonauts and Brütal Legend - has asked its Xbox 360 players to make sure they download any games ahead of time, "just to be sure" they can retain access to them after 29th July.
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