Tag Archives: Video Games

Sony quickly backs down on Helldivers 2 PSN requirement for PC players

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After creating a massive kerfuffle by forcing Helldivers 2 PC players to link their Steam accounts to the PlayStation Network, Sony is backing down. The May 6 update will no longer be released and, presumably, the game won't be removed from sale on Steam in 177 countries and territories as reported yesterday.

"Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update," the company said on X. "The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward."

In a separate post, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt said, "firstly, I am impressed by the willpower of the @helldivers2 community and your ability to collaborate. Secondly I want to thank our partners and friends at @PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the decision to leave PSN linking optional. We together want to set a new standard for what a live game is, and how developers and community can support each other to create the best game experiences."

After Sony's announcement that it would require players to link their Steam and PSN accounts, users pushed back en masse. Thety complained not just about privacy issues, but the fact that the game was removed from all countries without PSN access — some 177 in total, according to @SteamDB. That resulted in over 200,000 negative reviews on the game, which led to an apology from Pilestedt. "Ouch, right in the review score," he wrote. 

Earlier this year, Sony President Hiroki Totoki promised to shrink the gap between PlayStation 5 and PC releases in an effort to grow profit margins. Helldivers 2 followed that dictum, releasing to PSN and PC on the same day, February 8. 

Helldivers 2 was supposed to require a PSN link from launch day, but Sony delayed the plan due to network limitations. Other multiplayer titles include Ghost of Tsushima (Legends) also supposedly require a PSN account, but it's not clear if Sony will retain that requirement given the recent bad publicity. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-quickly-backs-down-on-helldivers-2-psn-requirement-for-pc-players-120030227.html?src=rss

Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns

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Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.” The sweeping takedown comes two months after Yuzu’s creators quickly settled a lawsuit with Nintendo and its notoriously trigger-happy legal team for $2.4 million.

GamesIndustry.biz first reported on the DMCA notice, affecting 8,535 GitHub repos. Redacted entities representing Nintendo assert that the Yuzu source code contained in the repos “illegally circumvents Nintendo’s technological protection measures and runs illegal copies of Switch games.”

GitHub wrote on the notice that developers will have time to change their content before it’s disabled. In keeping with its developer-friendly approach and branding, the Microsoft-owned platform also offered legal resources and guidance on submitting DMCA counter-notices.

Nintendo’s legal blitz, perhaps not coincidentally, comes as game emulators are enjoying a resurgence. Last month, Apple loosened its restrictions on retro game players in the App Store (likely in response to regulatory threats), leading to the Delta emulator establishing itself as the de facto choice and reaching the App Store’s top spot. Nintendo may have calculated that emulators’ moment in the sun threatened its bottom line and began by squashing those that most immediately imperiled its income stream.

Sadly, Nintendo’s largely undefended legal assault against emulators ignores a crucial use for them that isn’t about piracy. Game historians see the software as a linchpin of game preservation. Without emulators, Nintendo and other copyright holders could make a part of history obsolete for future generations, as their corresponding hardware will eventually be harder to come by.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-blitzes-github-with-over-8000-emulator-related-dmca-takedowns-200021877.html?src=rss

Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns

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Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.” The sweeping takedown comes two months after Yuzu’s creators quickly settled a lawsuit with Nintendo and its notoriously trigger-happy legal team for $2.4 million.

GamesIndustry.biz first reported on the DMCA notice, affecting 8,535 GitHub repos. Redacted entities representing Nintendo assert that the Yuzu source code contained in the repos “illegally circumvents Nintendo’s technological protection measures and runs illegal copies of Switch games.”

GitHub wrote on the notice that developers will have time to change their content before it’s disabled. In keeping with its developer-friendly approach and branding, the Microsoft-owned platform also offered legal resources and guidance on submitting DMCA counter-notices.

Nintendo’s legal blitz, perhaps not coincidentally, comes as game emulators are enjoying a resurgence. Last month, Apple loosened its restrictions on retro game players in the App Store (likely in response to regulatory threats), leading to the Delta emulator establishing itself as the de facto choice and reaching the App Store’s top spot. Nintendo may have calculated that emulators’ moment in the sun threatened its bottom line and began by squashing those that most immediately imperiled its income stream.

Sadly, Nintendo’s largely undefended legal assault against emulators ignores a crucial use for them that isn’t about piracy. Game historians see the software as a linchpin of game preservation. Without emulators, Nintendo and other copyright holders could make a part of history obsolete for future generations, as their corresponding hardware will eventually be harder to come by.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-blitzes-github-with-over-8000-emulator-related-dmca-takedowns-200021877.html?src=rss

Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they’re not being chill about it

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Linking to a random third-party account when you just want to play a video game you paid for is truly annoying and, honestly, keeps me from even launching certain games by certain publishers who shall remain nameless. Helldivers 2 players are experiencing this frustration right now, as the PC version of the massively popular third-person shooter will soon require a link to a PlayStation account.

New players will be required to link both accounts on May 6, but pre-existing players have until June 4 before the requirement kicks in. Sony says that forcing people to link to a PSN account helps “protect players from griefing and abuse by enabling the banning of players that engage in that type of behavior.” Ah, the popular “few bad apples” excuse.

This was always the plan, according to publisher Sony, but “technical issues” upon launch forced a delay in the linking mandate. In other words, when the PC version came out on February 8, you could just play it like any other game as nature intended, but now you gotta do the whole “insert credentials” rigamarole. This can be time-consuming, particularly if you don’t already have a PSN account or if you’re playing on something like a Steam Deck. Also, some regions where Helldivers 2 is available on PC don’t even support PSN accounts.

This has royally pissed off PC players, though it’s worth noting that it's free to make a PSN account. This has led to review bombing on Steam and many promises to abandon the game when the linking becomes a requirement, according to a report by Kotaku. The complaints range from frustration over adding yet another barrier to entry after downloading an 80GB game to fears that the PSN account would likely be hacked. While it is true that Sony was the target of a huge hack that impacted 77 million PSN accounts, that was back in 2011. Obama was still in his first term. Also worth noting? Steam was hacked in 2011, impacting 35 million accounts.

So maybe gamers are taking things a bit too far here and many are likely to not follow through with promises to stop playing Helldivers 2. That doesn’t change the fact that account linking is annoying. On the plus side, Sony recently promised to bring its titles to PCs as soon as possible, and Helldivers 2 was a day-one release on both Steam and PlayStation consoles. That’s a neat little promise to keep, now where’s Spider-Man 2?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/helldivers-2-pc-players-suddenly-have-to-link-to-a-psn-account-and-theyre-not-being-chill-about-it-185835690.html?src=rss

Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they’re not being chill about it

Posted on by

Linking to a random third-party account when you just want to play a video game you paid for is truly annoying and, honestly, keeps me from even launching certain games by certain publishers who shall remain nameless. Helldivers 2 players are experiencing this frustration right now, as the PC version of the massively popular third-person shooter will soon require a link to a PlayStation account.

New players will be required to link both accounts on May 6, but pre-existing players have until June 4 before the requirement kicks in. Sony says that forcing people to link to a PSN account helps “protect players from griefing and abuse by enabling the banning of players that engage in that type of behavior.” Ah, the popular “few bad apples” excuse.

This was always the plan, according to publisher Sony, but “technical issues” upon launch forced a delay in the linking mandate. In other words, when the PC version came out on February 8, you could just play it like any other game as nature intended, but now you gotta do the whole “insert credentials” rigamarole. This can be time-consuming, particularly if you don’t already have a PSN account or if you’re playing on something like a Steam Deck. Also, some regions where Helldivers 2 is available on PC don’t even support PSN accounts.

This has royally pissed off PC players, though it’s worth noting that it's free to make a PSN account. This has led to review bombing on Steam and many promises to abandon the game when the linking becomes a requirement, according to a report by Kotaku. The complaints range from frustration over adding yet another barrier to entry after downloading an 80GB game to fears that the PSN account would likely be hacked. While it is true that Sony was the target of a huge hack that impacted 77 million PSN accounts, that was back in 2011. Obama was still in his first term. Also worth noting? Steam was hacked in 2011, impacting 35 million accounts.

So maybe gamers are taking things a bit too far here and many are likely to not follow through with promises to stop playing Helldivers 2. That doesn’t change the fact that account linking is annoying. On the plus side, Sony recently promised to bring its titles to PCs as soon as possible, and Helldivers 2 was a day-one release on both Steam and PlayStation consoles. That’s a neat little promise to keep, now where’s Spider-Man 2?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/helldivers-2-pc-players-suddenly-have-to-link-to-a-psn-account-and-theyre-not-being-chill-about-it-185835690.html?src=rss

Redfall’s two DLC heroes are still MIA a year later

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As Microsoft tries to beef up its in-house Xbox studios, it may want to be more careful about leaving a trail of broken promises when things don’t go as planned. A year after the hyped vampire shooter Redfall landed with a thud, a Kotaku report highlights how players are still waiting for the advertised post-launch DLC they already paid for.

Redfall’s Bite Back Edition is a $100 collector’s variant (or $30 add-on) that includes, among other content, a pass for “two future heroes” to complement the game’s original four. As you may have guessed, the new playable characters still haven’t materialized.

In addition, Microsoft-owned Bethesda has gone silent on the new protagonists’ absence since November. “We’re continuing development of The Hero Pass and we’re excited to share more about Redfall’s new heroes and other updates later next year,” developer Arkane Austin wrote late last year.

At the very least, it seems customers are owed clear communication — or refunds if Bethesda has noped out of further development. Engadget has reached out for comment, and we’ll update this story if we hear back. In the meantime, Kotaku’s reporting on the maddening saga is worth a read.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/redfalls-two-dlc-heroes-are-still-mia-a-year-later-180838827.html?src=rss

Take-Two is shutting down the studios behind Rollerdrome and Kerbal Space Program 2

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This one's a bummer. Mega-publisher Take-Two Interactive is shuttering Rollerdrome studio Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 team Intercept Games, according to paperwork seen by Bloomberg.

Roll7 is based in London, and was founded in 2008 by lifelong friends Tom Hegarty and Simon Bennett. Roll7 is the studio behind OlliOlli, OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome, all fantastic games with wheel-based mechanics. OlliOlli was a Vita hit in 2014 and World landed in early 2022 — they're both great, and the latter in particular is a flow-state-inducing skateboarding platformer with an adorable art style. Rollerdrome was one of our favorite games of 2022; it's a luscious third-person rollerskating-and-gunplay title that looks like a slice of 1970s dystopian sci-fi. 

Roll7 has picked up multiple prestigious awards over the years, including recent wins at BAFTA and DICE. As the studio name implies, Roll7 developers know how to make incredibly smooth action games.

Take-Two purchased Roll7 in November 2021 and made it a subsidiary of Private Division, the company's label for small- and mid-size publishing deals. According to Bloomberg, Take-Two plans to close Roll7 and will offer severance packages to staff.

Intercept Games is based in Seattle and is responsible for Kerbal Space Program 2, a popular flight-simulation title that's still technically in early access on Steam. Take-Two founded Intercept in 2020 specifically to manage Kerbal Space Program 2, and the game has been receiving updates since going live in February 2023.

Take-Two has yet to confirm that it's closing Intercept Games — but it hasn't said it isn't, either. The company filed a notice in Washington on Monday outlining plans to lay off 70 people in the state and permanently close their place of business, and some Kerbal developers have confirmed their recent departures. Private Division will continue to update Kerbal Space Program 2, Take-Two said in a statement.

Take-Two is one of the largest video game companies around, reporting $5.3 billion in revenue last year. It's the owner of Grand Theft Auto and the parent company of Rockstar Games, 2K, Private Division, Zynga and — very recently — Gearbox Software. Take-Two purchased Borderlands studio Gearbox in March for $460 million. Grand Theft Auto VI, arguably the most anticipated game of the decade, is due to add billions to Take-Two's bottom line in 2025.

In April, Take-Two announced plans to lay off 5 percent of its employees, or roughly 600 people, by the end of 2024. It also canceled some in-development projects. When news of the planned firings broke last month, Take-Two didn't identify which studios would take the hit, but now we know it includes Roll7 and Intercept. The company laid off some Private Division workers in 2023 as well.

An estimated 9,400 people have been laid off in the video game industry so far in 2024, and a total of 10,500 workers were let go in 2023. Sony, Microsoft and Riot Games have fired a combined 3,300 employees this year alone, and the fallout from Embracer Group's funding implosion keeps spreading, with numerous shuttered studios and more than 1,400 displaced workers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/take-two-is-shutting-down-the-studios-behind-rollerdrome-and-kerbal-space-program-2-000253545.html?src=rss

May’s PlayStation Plus games include Ghostrunner 2 and the modern classic Tunic

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The bad news? It’s the beginning of the month, so rent is due. The good news? Sony just revealed the PlayStation Plus games lineup for May, and there are some serious standouts. The lineup includes Ghostrunner 2, Tunic, Destiny 2: Lightfall and EA Sports FC 24. Most of these games are available for both PS4 and PS5, except Ghostrunner 2 which is only for PS5 players.

So let’s start with Ghostrunner 2. It’s a brutally difficult, yet consistently engaging, first-person slasher with a fast-paced traversal mechanic that recalls games like Mirror’s Edge. You will die often, our reviewer died 164 times on one level, and you are likely to love every second of it. Perishing isn’t that big of a deal, as there are checkpoints just about everywhere and you can respawn instantly with the press of a button. It’s also a blast, offering a “satisfying gameplay loop that's hard to walk away from.”

Tunic is somehow both critically-acclaimed and underrated. This top-down isometric adventure is an absolute gem, with gameplay that brings to mind old-school Zelda adventures. By old-school, we mean really old-school. Tunic is most similar to the very first Zelda game for the NES, as there are no objective markers, no towns filled with cute villagers and not much by way of a story. You are just plopped into the world and tasked with exploring. The puzzles are tough and the combat can be even tougher. It’s nearly as polished as a Nintendo title and the protagonist is a cute fox. What’s not to love?

EA Sports FC 24 is the latest entry in the company’s flagship soccer series. There are more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams and 30 leagues, including the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League. This is actually the first time in franchise history in which men and women can be on the pitch together. That’s pretty neat. It features crossplay with Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox One.

Destiny 2: Lightfall is an expansion that adds grappling hooks to the game’s arsenal. There’s a new Darkness subclass called the Strand and plenty of updated perks, weapons, armor and more. It’s also set in a neon metropolis, which is a nice change of pace. This was actually the first Destiny 2 expansion released after Sony bought Bungie.

All of these games will be playable on May 7. Ghostrunner 2, Tunic and Destiny 2: Lightfall will be available for download until June 3, and EA Sports FC 24 until June 17. To that end, April’s PS Plus games are about to hit the chopping block. You only have until May 6 to download Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends and Skul: The Hero Slayer.

May includes another treat for PS Plus subscribers. The sidescrolling Metroidvania Animal Well, the first game published by popular YouTuber Dunkey, is a day-one release on May 9. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mays-playstation-plus-games-include-ghostrunner-2-and-the-modern-classic-tunic-172000294.html?src=rss

Batman: Arkham Shadow is the first big exclusive VR game for the Quest 3

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One of the main reasons it has been difficult to recommend the $500 Quest 3 VR headset over the $200 Quest 2 is a lack of exclusive titles, as most games have to support both models. This means we haven’t really seen the power of the Quest 3 yet, but the tides are turning. Meta just announced Batman: Arkham Shadow, which is fully exclusive to the company’s newest headset.

It looks like this title is actually set in the pre-existing Arkham universe, but it's not being developed by franchise steward Rocksteady Studios. It’s being created by Oculus Studios and a developer called Camouflaj, which made the surprisingly great Iron Man VR experience. The track record is pretty spotty when it comes to other developers playing in Rocksteady’s sandbox, but the inclusion of Camouflaj makes me cautiously optimistic.

There’s a trailer, seen above, but it's devoid of any actual gameplay. For that, we’ll have to wait until Summer Game Fest in June, according to Geoff Keighley. The trailer does indicate the presence of a little-known member of Batman’s rogues gallery called Ratcatcher. He controls rats to commit crimes. It’s a whole thing.

This isn’t the first time that Batman donned a VR headset. Back in 2016, Rocksteady released Batman: Arkham VR. The game was praised for being immersive, but dinged for being just an hour long. Hopefully, this one is a bit longer, though I’m actually into short VR experiences that are done really well. There’s only so much time to wander around the house like a doofus with a headset attached to my face.

While this is certainly the highest profile Quest 3 exclusive, it's not the first to be announced. Starship Home is a mixed-reality adventure that looks like it should have been a launch exclusive for the Vision Pro. The horror-tinged Alien: Rogue Incursion isn’t quite a Quest 3 exclusive, as it's also releasing on Steam and PSVR2, but it is a “next-gen” VR game that doesn’t have to run on the antiquated Quest 2. All three titles will be released by the end of the year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/batman-arkham-shadow-is-the-first-big-exclusive-vr-game-for-the-quest-3-154210616.html?src=rss

LinkedIn now has Wordle-style games you can play every day

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LinkedIn, the professional network known for job listings and unsolicited career advice, is jumping into gaming. The platform is officially introducing a set of Wordle-style puzzle games, weeks after they were first spotted in the app.

The company is starting with three games: Pinpoint, a word game where players must guess the theme that ties a series of words together; Queens, a puzzle game that’s a bit like a cross between Sudoku and Minesweeper; and Crossclimb, a trivia game that involves guessing a series of four-letter words and placing them in the correct order.

LinkedIn describes them as “thinking-oriented games,” though the format will likely look familiar to fans of The New York Times Games app. Each game can only be played once a day, and players can share their score with friends in cute emoji-filled messages reminiscent of the “Wordle grid.” The service will also keep track of “streaks,” to encourage players to come back every day. Given the similarities, it shouldn’t be surprising that games were developed by LinkedIn’s news team, which recently hired a dedicated games editor.

Games have been a boon for The New York Times since it acquired Wordle in 2022, and other publications have tried to emulate that success with their own lineup of word and puzzle games. I asked LinkedIn’s editor-in-chief and VP of Product Dan Roth if the company was inspired by the success of Wordle and the NYT’s Games app. He said that the inspiration was actually much older: “the very first crossword puzzle” in the New York World newspaper more than 100 years ago. He added that there aren’t currently plans for a standalone gaming app.

“These games aren't designed to be just played,” Roth told Engadget. “We're not getting into the gaming world to get into the gaming world. The idea is games that can help you think differently and connect with your network.”

You can try out the new games on LinkedIn.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/linkedin-now-has-wordle-style-games-you-can-play-every-day-133035046.html?src=rss