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It was previously mandatory for players to enroll in the “SMS Protect” system to access the game. Players who declined would be unable to login to the game’s servers. Blizzard argued that SMS Protect was necessary as the game transitioned to a live service free-to-play model, in order to combat “disruptive behaviour” and stop banned users simply creating a new account. However, the community didn’t take kindly to this requirement, which could be viewed as exclusionary particularly for those without a mobile phone....

This follows on from the news that the company is ditching its predecessor’s lootboxes in favour of a seasonal battle pass and in-game store. As shared by Twitter user Portergauge, earlier this year Blizzard asked those taking part in the Overwatch 2 beta their thoughts on paying $45 for the new, highest rarity, skin in the upcoming sequel. “Oof, [a] friend of mine got an Overwatch survey for his account, some of these prices they’re gauging for OW2 are really expensive,” they wrote....

The warning these so-called “vampire devices” are draining power - expensive for you, but also unecessary for the planet - comes as the UK faces an unprecedented energy price hike, while gas and electricity companies continue to turn massive profits. Indeed, the language of today’s call from British Gas has been criticised for passing the blame for high bills onto consumers. There have also been questions asked about the numbers British Gas has used to calculate its savings....

Those reports first surfaced back in July, when The Game Post, citing a source with knowledge of Chinese mobile developer NetEase’s plans, claimed the company was collaborating with Bungie to bring a completely new instalment in the Destiny series to mobile - a project said to have already been in development for several years. It’s in this context that the seven newly unearthed Bungie patents (as spotted by The Game Post) prove particularly interesting....

American Arcadia, which was initially teased earlier this year, takes place in a retro-futuristic metropolis where the citizens have no idea they’re actually contestants on the most watched reality show on the planet. What follows is a daring escape - presented as a documentary, complete with interviews and police interrogations - as players take control of two different characters in two different locations, each with their own playstyles. One half of the action unfolds as a 2....

We first reported that the Canadian legal firm was preparing a class-action lawsuit against Epic Games back in 2019. It accused the developer of “knowingly” creating the “very, very addictive game”, Fortnite, but had been in limbo ever since as the court assessed whether or not the case could proceed. Now, however, it seems the court agrees with the plaintiff that the claim “does not appear to be frivolous or manifestly ill-founded” and, according to CTV News, just because there’s “no certainty” that Epic created an “addictive” game it “does not preclude the possibility that the game is in fact addictive and that its creator and distributor are presumed to know this”....

The developer says it’s saving a more detailed breakdown of Vietnam, described as a “culture and terrain focussed” civilisation, for an upcoming First Look video, but teases that it’ll be lead by a still-mysterious “god-like figure whose achievements have become stuff of legend” that’s known for their “bravery, guerrilla tactics, and deadly temper”. Also scheduled for a more thorough First Look reveal is the “jolly but ruthless conquerer” Kublai Khan, an alternative leader for the China and Mongolia civilisations, whose abilities are said to create “new and unique opportunities” during play....

Microsoft announced the new addition yesterday via its Game Pass Twitter account. Control is already available on Game Pass for Android and Xbox consoles, and has been since early December. If you’ve not yet played Control, it’s well worth a try - especially on PC, where it looks sublime. “Giddy action and astonishing art design combine in one of the great locations of modern video games,” Christian Donlan enthused in Eurogamer’s Control review back in August 2019....

Phonopolis, which makes use of actual corrugated cardboard sets and a 12fps stop-motion animation style inspired by classic animated films, casts players as Felix, a thoughtful young man who must try and stop the titular city’s authoritarian leader from playing the Absolute tone - an occurrence that would effectively cause Felix and his fellow citizens to lose their humanity. What follows is a story-driven puzzle adventure encompassing “relatable, real-world themes”, including manipulation and individualism....

The change in strategy - what CD Projekt calls its new “strategic development framework” - comes in response to the disappointing launch of Cyberpunk 2077 in December last year, and is detailed in a lengthy corporate update video released this afternoon. “We want to improve the way we make games,” company boss Adam Kiciński said. “We want to continuously improve the working environment for every team member. We want a sharper focus on how we work together to make great games....

At one key moment, several choices are available based on the alliances you’ve made in the game. The more of these alliances you’ve made, the more will be available to you. The good news is there is technically no point of no return, with the game resetting back to this key choice if you want to unlock and play through the other paths. This means no ending, aside from the secret Cyberpunk 2077 ending, is missable - useful if you want to 100% Cyberpunk 2077’s achievements or trophies....

Across the game, there’s a range of different types of romances you can get involved in - from one-off flings to stable relationships. This page offers full details on how to unlock all romance options in Cyberpunk 2077, and how romance and relationships work in general. On this page: For more help with Cyberpunk 2077, we have pages on life paths and attributes. Before you start Cyberpunk 2077, there are some important things to know upfront:...

There’s much more on the docket for discussion in this week’s Direct. There is a dual helping of exciting survival horror in the offing, with reveals for Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 remake, plus a remarkable array of footage unleashed for Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 - two releases with very different takes on revitalising PS2/GameCube era classics. Capcom’s RE Engine delivers exactly what I was expecting from its latest remake, but what I wasn’t expecting was the sheer intensity of the gameplay footage....

A limited number of sign-ups will be granted access, and the test will conclude on Monday, 12th April at 6pm UK time. You can try your luck at being randomly chosen by registering your interest via the Diablo 2 website. You’ll be able to play as much as you want, with no level cap, but progress won’t carry over to the final game. If you’re unlucky at getting in yourself, the technical alpha is permitted for streaming - so expect plenty of footage to pop up....

However, Activision Blizzard’s latest financial results show Blizzard active users have only recovered slightly - to where they were just over a year ago - and revenue remains down slightly year-on-year. After falling to 22 million monthly active users for the quarter ending in March 2022, Diablo Immortal has helped Blizzard back to 27 million for the quarter ending at the beginning of July. But cast your eye back over a year and Blizzard’s player numbers are still nowhere near where they once were - to 29 million at the end of 2020, 32 million at the end of 2019, and 35 million at the end of 2018....

This new feature will allow users to create “dedicated spaces for each new topic of discussion,” Discord explains. “You’ll be able to see everything people are chatting about before you jump in, allowing you to engage in an existing discussion - or start a new one - without worrying about breaking up or getting in the way of other ongoing conversations.” You can see a little preview of this feature thanks to the video above....

NetherRealm’s Ed Boon has shut down reports that the developer would be making an announcement at this year’s fighting event. “It’s time for Street Fighter and other great fighting games to be in the sun,” he tweeted earlier today. “Let’s enjoy that!” So, I guess that’s that. Earlier this year, Jonathan Andersen, senior production manager at NetherRealm, accidentally teased the next Mortal Kombat game. In a swiftly-deleted tweet that was of course picked up by the ever watchful eyes of the internet, Andersen shared an image of his monitor that included the words “MK12_Mast” at the bottom....

The real-time strategy game features four factions fighting each other for control of spice on Dune’s iconic desert planet, Arrakis. Publisher Funcom and developer Shiro Games also announced the fourth playable faction, the Fremen, who join the Atreides, Harkonnen and Smugglers factions. Here’s the official blurb: “With a greater capacity to move across and withstand the open desert, less chance to attract colossal sandworms, and an improved ability to ally with hidden Sietches (neutral native settlements), the Fremen are uniquely poised to expand their area of influence in order to control the planet....

The move is an apparent scaling back of the company’s ambitions in the video game space. Wizards of the Coast is best known for the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop games, but in recent years has made a significant investment in video games. The initial result of this drive, 2021’s Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, failed to spark much interest. “A bad first impression but it’s a grower,” Bertie wrote in Eurogamer’s Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance review....

By way of comparison, we can look toward Dying Light’s original instalment, also regarded as a sizeable hit for the studio. That game - according to new figures released by Techland today - has now sold 20m copies since launching a little over seven years ago in 2015, meaning its follow-up really is off to a flying start. All that suggests a healthy future for Dying Light 2 - doubtlessly reassuring for Techland, given the developer has already committed to five years of post-launch DLC support for the game....