PUBG: New State’s First Partnership Adds Speedy Bugatti Rimac Nivera In Next Update

PUBG: New State developer Krafton Inc. has announced a new partnership with European car manufacturer Bugatti Rimac that will bring one of the fastest sports cars in the world to the mobile battle royale.

Starting with the next update later this month, players will be able to find the Bugatti Rimac Nivera on the island of Troi and take it for a test drive. The Nivera, according to the press release, is an all-electric, 1,914 horsepower, 258 miles-per-hour car that can cover a quarter-mile in less than nine seconds.

The Bugatti Rimac Nivera is coming to PUBG New State soon.

“We are extremely excited to announce our first collaboration and it is truly an honor to have Bugatti-Rimac, an innovative and iconic car brand, with us to kick start the new year,” Minkyu Park, executive producer of PUBG: New State, said in the official release. “This is a landmark collaboration for us and adding the Rimac Nevera to the game will help electrify the game’s fun, intensity and experiences for our fans.”

A limited-time crate themed around the Nevera will be added to the in-game shop as well. The Rimac Crate will include among other items five different colors for the card: Nevera Blue, Gunpowder Grey, Prism Glow, Sunburst Red and Luminous Gold.

This is the first-ever partnership for the new PUBG: New State game since its launch in November. Its sister game, PUBG Mobile, has recently featured partnerships with Arcane: A League of Legends Story, Godzilla vs. Kong, and the Metro franchise for in-game events. The creators of the game, Krafton and Tencent Games, recently won a $10 million lawsuit against a hacking group distributing cheats for the game.

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PUBG Mobile Cheat Makers Ordered To Pay $10 Million After Losing Lawsuit

A court case pitting Krafton Inc. and Tencent Games–developer and publisher of PUBG Mobile, respectively–against a hacking group accused of distributing cheaters for the game has ended with Krafton and Tencent victorious.

Federal courts in both the United States and Germany ruled in favor of the two companies, ordering the hacking group to pay around $10 million in damages and restitution to the firms. The group was found to be creating and distributing hacks and cheats to other users, giving the recipients unfair advantages in the game.

Krafton and Tencent’s restitution will be put toward stronger anti-cheat measures in the future.

“Millions of players worldwide enjoy PUBG Mobile and we will ensure a level playing field for everyone,” Rick Li, producer on PUBG Mobile, said in the official release. “Sadly, the actions of hacker groups undermine the fairness of the game. These judgments send a clear message that we will not tolerate cheating.”

The hacker group has also been ordered to provide details on how they were able to exploit the game for the cheats, as well as any collaborators in their efforts.

Tencent and Krafton have announced they will invest the received funds in further anti-cheat technology, including the recently released “device ban feature” which can ban specific devices from logging into PUBG Mobile or creating new accounts. The decision is the latest in a legal war being waged against online cheat distributors, with Activision Blizzard recently suing another site over Call of Duty Warzone cheats.

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Awesome Games Done Quick 2022: How To Watch AGDQ And Schedule

Awesome Games Done Quick, better known as AGDQ, is back this week for another round of speedrunning video games in order to raise money for a great cause. This year, AGDQ takes place from January 9-16, and as with the past few events, it will be entirely online due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. That doesn’t mean there will be any fewer games, however, nor will there be fewer opportunities to win prizes as everyone works together to support the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Here’s how you can watch all of AGDQ 2022 and the biggest streams to look out for.

How to watch AGDQ 2022

Unlike some other gaming streams, AGDQ is not streamed–at least not officially–on YouTube. Highlights are posted there after the fact, but the main Awesome Games Done Quick show will be streamed on the organization’s Twitch page. We’ve embedded that page above to make it easier, so you can come back right here when it begins and watch the whole thing. It’s just one stream at a time, so there’s no need to jump back and forth to make sure you aren’t missing your favorite game.

AGDQ 2022 schedule highlights

AGDQ 2022 will run from January 9 to January 16, kicking off with a pre-show at 8:30 AM PT / 11:30 AM ET and a PS5 speedrun of Nioh 2. It’s ending with a Metal Gear Solid run on a PlayStation TV, of all systems. Below, we’ve broken the event down by day and have highlighted some of the most exciting runs. You can see every run and a list of runners and hosts on the official website. And you won’t want to miss that Sekiro run on January 15… it’s being done blindfolded.

January 9

Deathloop: 1:39 PM PT / 4:39 PM ETMega Man 2: 2:41 PM PT / 5:41 PM ETDeath’s Door: 3:52 PM PT / 6:52 PM ET

January 10

Gunstar Heroes: 4:27 AM PT / 7:27 AM ETPsychonauts 2: 12:55 PM PT / 3:55 PM ETOri and the Blind Forest: 4:01 PM PT / 7:01 PM ET

January 11

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart: 2:18 PM PT / 5:18 PM ETReturnal: 5:10 PM PT / 8:10 PM ETDead Rising: 6:41 PM PT / 9:41 PM ET

January 12

The Typing of the Dead: 2:59 AM PT / 5:59 AM ETHalo 5: Guardians: 4:55 PM PT / 7:55 PM ETDiddy Kong Racing: 7:02 PM PT / 10:02 PM ET

January 13

Half-Life 2: 8:01 AM PT / 11:01 AM ETResident Evil Village: 5:23 PM PT / 8:23 PM ET

January 14

It Takes Two: 9:57 PM ET (January 13) / 12:57 AM ETDark Souls: 9:42 AM PT / 12:42 PM ETHades: 6:33 PM PT / 9:33 PM ET

January 15

EarthBound: 8:59 AM PT / 11:59 AM ETHalo: Combat Evolved: 11:24 AM PT / 2:24 PM ETSekiro: Shadows Die Twice: 2:54 PM PT / 5:54 PM ETRead MoreGameSpot – Game News

Dragon Age’s Thedas Just Stands For “The Dragon Age Setting”

Some stories from inside game development are fun little anecdotes about weird bugs or hidden Easter eggs. Every once in a while, one surfaces that for whatever reason completely blows our collective minds, and this Dragon Age story is definitely one of them: It seems Thedas, the Dragon Age setting, actually stands for “The Dragon Age Setting,” or “TheDAS.”

The fact first resurfaced via a tweet from Sam Sharma, a director for Bungie working on Destiny 2: “Ever since I’ve learned that Thedas stands for The Dragon Age Setting I’ve never been the same.”

As reactions poured in over that observation–from those learning about it for the first time to others who knew and relished in others finding out–lead writer and creator of Dragon Age David Gaider quoted the Tweet with some observations of his own, confirming that the name Thedas was indeed an abbreviation, and originally meant to be temporary.

I still remember the meeting where we (reluctantly) decided to keep the “TheDAS” temp name because nothing else “sounded right”. We’d had the internal temp name for years, by that point. Definitely a lesson learned about what temp names should be (and not be). https://t.co/u5xztKIyRp

— David Gaider (@davidgaider) January 6, 2022

In the corresponding thread Gaider goes on to explain why the world was given a temporary name to begin with, citing a creative difference with his then boss. “It’s because (as I recall) James Ohlen had a name he wanted to use which… I didn’t really like,” Gaider wrote. “But he was my boss at the time, so I couldn’t very well just tell him no and name it something else.”

Gaider also revealed that Thedas isn’t the only temporary name that became part of established Dragon Age lore: “This lesson was one I used for the Qunari, actually. When I first named them, everyone was weird about it,” he explained. “‘Sounds like canary!’. With Thedas in mind, I said ‘let’s keep Qunari as a temp name and come back to it in 6 months or so.'” We did, and voila. Qunari stuck.”

There are countless examples of development stories like this, including the time a bee nearly ruined Skyrim’s intro or how Halo Infinite was meant to have a Breath of the Wild-esque open world at one point. Though in this case, now that we know what Thedas really means, we won’t be able to hear it the same way again.

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Apex Legends’ Rampage And Sentinel Removed From Game While Respawn Fixes Infinite Charge Exploit

Respawn has temporarily disabled both the Rampage LMG and Sentinel sniper rifle in Apex Legends following fan feedback that an exploit in the battle royale was making both weapons unfairly overpowered. The legendary MIL-SPEC Bangalore skin has also been disabled, following repeated issues where the cosmetic was causing the game to crash.

The exploit in question for both the Rampage and Sentinel involves how both weapons can be uniquely charged, the former with thermite grenades and the latter with shield cells. A charged Rampage will fire more quickly, while a charged Sentinel will deal immense amounts of damage. The discovered exploit allowed players to keep both weapons charged indefinitely, creating a cheap way to decimate enemies throughout an entire match.

We’ve just pushed out a @Playapex update temporarily disabling the Rampage and Sentinel weapons in all modes due to an exploit.

The update also disables the MIL-SPEC Bangalore skin. It is, however, still purchasable from the store and will be present once fixed and re-enabled.

— Respawn (@Respawn) January 6, 2022

The infinite charge exploit was actually first discovered last year, and Respawn implemented a hotfix patch to fix the issue in December. However, the exploit has reared its head again in recent weeks, as players found a new workaround for exploiting the Rampage and Sentinel.

On January 4, Respawn producer Josh Medina tweeted that the team had returned from holiday vacation, and were starting to work on a fix for the exploit. Apex Legends live balance designer John Larson also tweeted about the exploit, hinting that those who used it might be getting an account ban in the near future.

In the meantime, Respawn has decided to just remove the Rampage and Sentinel from ground loot, preventing anyone from being able to use the exploit. The two firearms are disabled in all modes, so you can’t use the Rampage or Sentinel in Trios, Duos, Ranked, or Arenas.

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Days Gone Sold 9 Million Copies But That’s Only Part Of The Story, Director Says

In response to the news that Ghost of Tsushima sold more than 8 million copies, the director of the PlayStation exclusive Days Gone revealed a sales number for the 2019 game.

Jeff Ross, who directed Days Gone and has subsequently left the studio, said on Twitter that when he left Sony, Days Gone had sold 8 million copies on console alone. The game has subsequently sold more on PlayStation consoles, plus a further 1 million+ on Steam, Ross said.

Ross went on to claim that local studio management “always made us feel like it was a big disappointment.” Ross said the press coverage–but not review scores–was a factor. “The press didn’t help our case,” Ross said.

Ross went on to say that Sony management had more faith in Death Stranding than Days Gone. The developer also spoke about the game’s development, saying, “Development was a long slog, but we were a small team learning how to make our first open world game. All things considered, it’s amazing we finished at all.”

At the time I left Sony, Days Gone had been out for a year and a half (and a month), and sold over 8 million copies. It’s since gone on to sell more, and then a million+ on Steam. Local studio management always made us feel like it was a big disappointment. #daysgone #PlayStation https://t.co/KMZr2pGe9r

— Jeff Ross (@JakeRocket) January 5, 2022

Ross left Bend Studio in December 2020. There are apparently no plans for a sequel, despite the huge sales, with Bend Studio now focusing on a new IP.

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What’s In The Fortnite Item Shop Today – January 6, 2022: Manic Skin Returns

The Fortnite Item Shop has been refreshed once more and today’s inventory lacks any major new crossovers, but it’s rather loaded with Epic-made heroes dating back as far as Chapter 1, Season 2. Spanning all four-plus years of the game so far, the Item Shop inventory has a bit of everything today. Here’s what you’ll find in the digital store for January 6, 2022.

The headlining item really comes down to personal preference. Nothing in the shop today has been absent more than a month or two, so it doesn’t really have any rare items at the moment, unless you count the soon-to-be-leaving Boba Fett and Cobra Kai cosmetics.

Manic’s alternate style comes without her mask. No covid on the Fortnite island, I suppose.

On the Epic side, you can find fan-favorites such as Manic, with her two styles and Scarlet Sai pickaxes, as well as Love Ranger and his Tat Axe pickaxe. Heroes from the in-universe anime, Battle Breakers, have also returned in the form of Razor and Kurohomura, two of the fake series’ lead characters.

Elsewhere in the shop, you can grab Geometrik, the Cube Legion-inspired hero (or villain, really), or Tactics Officer who first debuted way back in 2017’s Season 2. The simplicity of that one, while perhaps preferred by some players, still manages to remind us how far the game’s art design has come over the last several years.

For a complete breakdown of the shop inventory today, check out FireMonkey‘s tweet.

🛒 #Fortnite Item Shop
⏰ Thursday, January 6, 2022

💚 Use code ‘FireMonkey’ to support me! #EpicPartner pic.twitter.com/GgT0xs2FZs

— iFireMonkey (@iFireMonkey) January 6, 2022

We’ll be back tomorrow with another Fortnite Item Shop update.

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Microsoft Confirms No Plans To Remove Or Disable Dev Mode On Xbox

Microsoft’s Jason Ronald has confirmed that Xbox has “no plans” to remove or disable developer mode on Xbox consoles following speculation this week that it was planning to do just that.

Ronald, who is Partner Director of Program Management at Xbox, confirmed this on Twitter. “We continue to believe in and support a healthy independent app and game development community on Xbox,” Ronald said.

Some Partner Center accounts were “inadvertently deactivated,” Ronald said, which is what caused the confusion and speculation that the developer mode feature was being removed. “We are actively working on identifying and reenabling these accounts as soon as possible,” Ronald said.

Ronald said those who had their accounts accidentally deactivated can reach out to Microsoft at [email protected] to speed up the account recovery. “We apologize for the inconvenience and we are working to remedy this as quickly as possible and thanks for your patience.”

We have no plans to remove or disable Developer Mode on Xbox consoles. We continue to believe in and support a healthy independent app and game development community on Xbox.

— Jason Ronald (@jronald) January 5, 2022

As part of a regularly scheduled maintenance to clean up inactive accounts, a number of Partner Center accounts used to enable Developer Mode on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles were inadvertently deactivated.

— Jason Ronald (@jronald) January 5, 2022

We are actively working on identifying and reenabling these accounts as soon as possible. Once an account has been reactivated, users will be able to reenable Developer Mode on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

— Jason Ronald (@jronald) January 5, 2022

If your account was accidentally deactivated and you would like to restore access sooner, feel free to contact [email protected]. We apologize for the inconvenience and we are working to remedy this as quickly as possible and thanks for your patience.

— Jason Ronald (@jronald) January 5, 2022

In other news, Xbox Game Pass is adding a big group of great games to kick off the new year, including Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Gorogoa, and Spelunky 2 this month alone.

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Call Of Duty Developers Begin Third Week Of Striking Following Raven QA Layoffs

This week marks three weeks since employees across Activision Blizzard went on strike to show solidarity with twelve Raven Software QA employees unexpectedly laid off late last year and, subsequently, three weeks of silence from the company’s leadership regarding the incident. In an attempt to initiate conversation with Activision Blizzard once more, the former Raven QA team sent the company a letter Monday, January 3 outlining the conversations they hope to have with the company. Following the letter being sent to Activision Blizzard management, ABetterABK (A Better Activision, Blizzard, and King)–a Twitter group which was formed after reports of sexual harassment and sexism at the publisher surfaced earlier this year–shared the piece online.

Today is the third week in which employees across the company are striking in solidarity with Raven QA in response to surprise layoffs. Having had no response from our leadership, Raven QA sent the following letter earlier today. #WeAreRaven pic.twitter.com/e9AjbpuiJN

— ABetterABK 💙 ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) January 4, 2022

Among the topics of discussion listed in the letter were the details of the Raven QA team’s demands (as well as what the expectations were from both sides going forward), relocation packages for the Raven QA team who had previously moved for their position, and additional context regarding the situation from the leadership’s side. The team emphasized these conversations were in the interest of making a positive change in the company, and had the company’s best interest in mind. They then went on to write it was their hope that together they could “foster a transparent and trusting relationship” in the future.

The strike first began last December, when management at Raven Software informed their contracted QA staff that several of their contracts would not be renewed the following year. By the end of the day, it was revealed that 12 employees–or approximately 1/3 of the team–would ultimately be losing their jobs. To make matters worse, the news came after the team had spent the past five weeks working overtime to launch the new Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific map, and was reportedly promised by Activision “positive departmental changes” in the future after they were denied promotions and raises. While the strike began solely among the Raven QA team, several other QA teams operating under Activision Blizzard’s umbrella were quick to join the walkouts, backing the studio’s demand of permanent positions for the laid off QA testers.

In a statement given to GameSpot last December, Activision wrote that the layoffs were a part of an “internal restructure,” during which it plans to convert around 500 temporary employees to full-time employment.

“Activision Publishing is growing its overall investment in its development and operations resources,” the statement read. “We are converting approximately 500 temporary workers to full-time employees in the coming months. Unfortunately, as part of this change, we also have notified 20 temporary workers across studios that their contracts would not be extended.”

Since then, the company has provided no further comment.

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Pokemon Go’s First Event Of 2022 Is Rock- And Steel-Type Themed Mountains Of Power

Pokemon Go trainers should prepare for a bit of mountain hiking as the first major Pokemon Go event of 2022 has been announced: Mountains of Power.

The Rock- and Steel-type event kicks off January 7 at 10 AM local time, runs until January 13 at 8 PM local time, and continues the game’s Season of Heritage arc. As the official Niantic blog post describes: “Team Mystic Leader Spark journeys through the terrain reminiscent of mountains found in the Johto and Sinnoh regions.”

The Mountains of Power event will see an uptick in Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon both in the wild and in raids, while also offering special Pokemon for completing Timed and Field Research tasks. The full list of events for Mountains of Power is as follows:

Event Bonus1/2 distance to earn a heart by walking with your buddyRaidsThe following Pokémon will be appearing in raids and Mega Raids: Absol, Alolan Geodude, Beldum, Bronzor, Donphan, Heatran, Mega Aerodactyl, Medicham, Onix, and UrsaringResearch EncountersComplete the Timed Research tasks to earn encounters with Beldum and MawileComplete Field Research tasks for a chance to encounter Alolan Geodude, Mawile, or SlugmaWild EncountersThe following Pokémon will be appearing more frequently in the wild: Barboarch, Ferroseed, Geodude, Machop, Nosepass, Onix, and Zubat

Pokemon Go’s Season of Heritage arc began last month with the Winter Holiday event centered around Team Mystic’s Blanche. The event ran from December 16 to December 31 and added a new Postcard feature to the game to let players send postcards to friends featuring PokeStops they’ve visited.

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