Tag: playstation 5

GTA VI Hacker Gets Indefinite Hospital Sentence: Report

The hacker responsible for leaking in-development videos of Grand Theft Auto VI last year has been reportedly confined to a secure hospital — for an indefinite period. As per BBC News, an 18-year-old individual named Arion Kurtaj, who was part of the notorious cybercrime group Lapsus$, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to acute autism diagnosis. So, based on a mental assessment, the jury was asked to decide whether the heinous act was committed with criminal intent — resulting in the claim that the individual was ‘highly motivated’ to return to crime. As such, he has been sentenced to life in hospital indefinitely until he’s deemed as no longer dangerous to people.

Kurtaj was arrested back in September 2022 on suspicion of the Rockstar Games hack, during which he pled not guilty and faced trial for the crimes his cybercrime group committed against Nvidia and Uber. “The jury was told that while he was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he continued hacking and carried out his most infamous hack,” the report states. The hack was seemingly carried out in a hotel room, which he performed using an Amazon Firestick, a television, and a smartphone. (His laptop was allegedly confiscated from a previous breach attack.) Having gained access to the company’s Slack group, he boldly threatened to release the GTA 6 source code within the next 24 hours unless Rockstar negotiated with him over the Telegram messaging app.

While not explicitly mentioned, Rockstar might have declined his requests, leading to Kurtaj releasing over 90 clips from the highly anticipated video game into the wilds, in what could be called one of the biggest leaks in gaming history. Earlier this month, the company dropped the first trailer for GTA VI, showing off some in-engine footage and a glimpse at our two leads, Lucia and Jason. That video garnered 62 million views within just 13 hours of release, causing Kurtaj’s defence team to argue that the leaks barely put a dent in the game’s success and that no serious harm was caused. However, Rockstar argued that the leak spoiled thousands of hours put into development and affected the team morale, causing $5 million worth of damage for recovery. In addition to Kurtaj, another unnamed 17-year-old male was convicted of partaking in the cyberattack on Nvidia and stealing cryptocurrency.

More recently, another AAA game studio Insomniac Games fell victim to a ransomware attack, with the responsible cybercrime group releasing 1.67TB of confidential data into the wild, including a fully functioning build of the upcoming Wolverine game, emails between employees and their personal information, presentations on future release slate, sales figures, and more. Game developers around the world have united to shower love and support to the affected and denounced hacks which could endanger people’s lives.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on the current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series S/X sometime in 2025.

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Wolverine Gameplay, Upcoming Insomniac Games Slate, More Leaked in Ransomware Hack

Wolverine PS5 gameplay footage and internal data of countless Insomniac Games employees have leaked online. The ransomware group Rhysida has followed through on its threat to release 1.67TB of confidential data, after publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) refused to meet their demands of paying 50BTC or $2 million within a week. The group also claims to have leaked 98 percent of the data, while the remaining two percent was sold to undisclosed sellers — it’s unclear what those files contain. Videos have begun circulating online, featuring raw gameplay accompanied by animated storyboards, concept art, locations, the general plot, and a targeted release window of 2026.

In addition to gameplay, the leak seemingly contains a bootable build of Wolverine, featuring the main menu and chapter selects titled ‘Vertical Slice,’ which I’m assuming is for presenting to investors and publishers. Cast details are also now available, detailing Spartacus star Liam McIntyre as Logan/ The Wolverine, acclaimed voice actor Troy Baker as Mister Sinister, and Debra Wilson as Callisto — the last of them also stars in WB Games’ Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League as Amanda Waller, whose plot details were also leaked earlier this week. Without going into detail, the in-game presentation is a departure from Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, with a tight over-the-shoulder camera that’s reminiscent of the God of War reboot. As previously reported, it’s set on the island of Madripoor and offers brutal combat bolstered by Logan’s adamantium claws, which can also be used to parry incoming attacks.

“Yes, we knew who we were attacking. We knew that developers making games like this would be an easy target,” a Rhysida spokesperson told CyberDaily, adding that the group was able to break into the domain administrator ‘within 20-25 minutes’. The files also contain emails among staff members and presentations listing upcoming unannounced games from Insomniac, which indicates an entire lineup of Marvel games that may or may not interconnect with each other. As it happens, Wolverine is the first of a planned trilogy of X-Men games, with the second and third entries planned for 2029 and 2033, respectively. There are a couple of new IPs in the works, alongside a new Spider-Man title, which we all saw coming, given how the ending was set up in the newly launched Spider-Man 2.

Last week, Insomniac Games delayed its Spider-Man 2 New Game+ update to early 2024, promising that the release will bring a host of new features to the mix, including mission replays, the ability to change the time of day in-game, and more. However, the leak revealed further free DLCs, promising new missions with villains like the Beetle and Carnage, and some crossover with Sony Pictures to include some Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse NPCs, villains, and the low-framerate comic-booky visual filter. Since the leak, developers have come together online to show support for Insomniac Games and denounce the hackers who were responsible for it. Even Rockstar Games fell victim to such an attack in 2022, which leaked in-development GTA VI footage, compromising the effort put into the game.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is out only on the PS5. There is no official release window yet for the upcoming Wolverine game.

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Spider-Man 2 New Game Plus Update Delayed to Early 2024 With Promise of More Features

Spider-Man 2’s big post-launch update has been delayed to early 2024. In a tweet, developer Insomniac Games confirmed that the team needed more time to ensure a high-quality product, but will include a range of additional features. Originally, the patch was supposed to only include a New Game+ mode, allowing players to dive back into the game’s story in an overpowered state, carrying over all unlocked abilities and gear upgrades. But having collected feedback from players, a mission replay option will be added so that you can relive some of the most cinematic boss fights in gaming this year — alongside side missions to hunt down achievements.

“We know players have been eagerly awaiting features such as New Game+ and Audio Descriptions, among many more,” the tweet reads. “We have been working vigilantly on these features and require more testing to ensure the quality is up to our standards.” Players will soon be able to change the time of day in the city to best suit their web-swinging experience and even swap the colours on their tendrils when using the symbiote powers, which are black by default. When using other costumes, however, the symbiote Peter Parker’s webbing retains the colour white, rather than matching the theme of the suit he’s wearing, so the update should allow players to mix and match it as they like. Insomniac Games has got a lot more planned in the upcoming update, details of which will be shared in time.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Review

Earlier this week, the studio fell victim to a cybersecurity attack — hacked by a ransomware group that is looking to auction the ‘exclusive’ data at a starting bid of $2 million or 50 bitcoin. Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) confirmed the original report, adding that the situation is being investigated and that no other divisions have been affected by the security breach. Rhysida is the hacking group claiming credit for the attack and as proof, published a bunch of Insomniac staff emails, some official documents of the employees, and what appears to be screenshots of the upcoming Wolverine game. A seven-day deadline has been self-imposed by the group, with the implication that the data will be released into the wild if they don’t receive an undisclosed payment on time. Video game companies are more frequently being targeted by such attacks, with the most notorious one being the Rockstar Games leak from last year, causing over 90 in-development GTA VI clips to leak online.

Both of Insomniac’s Marvel-centric games, Spider-Man and Wolverine, are set within the same universe — Earth-1048 — so there’s always a possibility of a cameo appearance from either lead character. Currently, there is no release window for the Wolverine game and the ending of Spider-Man 2 was clearly pointing towards a follow-up — whether that turns out to be a sequel or an expansion remains to be seen. Spider-Man 2 was also nominated in seven categories at The Game Awards 2023, including Game of the Year, but didn’t win a single trophy.

Spider-Man 2 is out now, only on the PS5.

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GTA 5 and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Lead PlayStation Plus Extra, Deluxe Games for December 2023

Grand Theft Auto V leads the pack of new titles coming to the PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe/ Premium game catalog, this month. Starting December 19, all higher-tier PS Plus members can hop back into the lively city of Los Santos and experience a tale of perilous heists and betrayal as a street hustler, a retired bank robber, and an impulsive criminal’s lives become intertwined in a twisted odyssey. While the game has been out for quite some time now, this addition perfectly lines up with the new GTA Online update ‘The Chop Shop,’ which brings a salvage yard and drift racing into the mix. GTA V will be available to play on both PS4 and PS5.

Take on the role of sworn warrior Jack Garland, fuelled by an undying thirst to defeat Chaos, in this dark fantasy reimagining of Final Fantasy. Backed by his party mates Ash and Jed, players engage in a sprawling adventure — visiting iconic locations such as the Chaos Shrine and Refrine Wetlands — to restore the crystals’ light and nullify the eroding darkness, by frequently stopping to engage in high-octane cinematic hack-and-slash battles. I’ll admit, that it’s quite flashy for an FF game, but that has to do with Square Enix’s collaboration with Team Ninja on this one, which is known for the Nioh series of games. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will be out on PS4 and PS5. Or head into some good old racing and work your way to the finish line in MotoGP 23, featuring an entirely new career mode and dynamic weather that makes every competition unpredictable.

Rhythm-based games can appeal to a large crowd if done right, and Funcom’s Metal: Hellsinger is a great example of that. As a human-demon hybrid, step into the scorching domains of hell and lay waste to diabolical enemies using insanely powerful weapons, against a heavy metal music backdrop. Try to match the beat with every shot to maximise your score, and you may soon find yourself before the utterly cruel Red Judge. The game will be available on PS4 and PS5. Fierce clayborne warrior Grey Irma is on a quest to find her sculptor and unravel her purpose in this 2D side-scrolling souls-like game, as you explore the perilous moonlit dungeons and slash your way through tough-as-nails enemies and use every death as a learning experience. Moonscars also features a host of special armaments to master, powerful spells, and intricate storytelling that relies on you to piece the narrative puzzle together.

The acclaimed Shadowrun trilogy is joining the PS Plus Game Catalog this month, tossing you into a cyberpunkish world where creatures of magical myths have awakened and trudge along the lands. As a mercenary living on the fringes of society, interact with greedy corporates, solve elaborate puzzles, solve a murder mystery, and more to restore a hint of order in a dystopian Seattle. All three games Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong will be available across PS4 and PS5.

All these and more were unveiled on the PlayStation Blog and will be available exclusively to PS Plus Extra and Deluxe members in December (PS Plus Deluxe is called PS Plus Premium in select markets). Last month’s catalogue included Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, Teardown, and Dead Island: Riptide to name just a few.

Here’s the complete list of free games available to PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe/ Premium subscribers, starting December 19.

The blog post also lists the PS Plus Classics catalogue for December, available exclusively to PS Plus Deluxe/ Premium members. This month brings Mega Man Legacy Collection, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Thrillville, Thrillville: Off the Rails, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

PlayStation Plus Deluxe subscription starts in India from Rs. 849 per month, whereas the Extra subscription begins at Rs. 749 per month.

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Call of Duty: MW 3, Warzone Season 1 Is Out Now: New Maps, Drivable Trains, Zombies Story Mission, More

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and its Warzone component kicked off its Season 1 multiplayer today, marking its first major update since launch. The former gets three new maps as part of its 24/7 playlist, in addition to a 6v6 arena set in Rio, which will be available later in the season. As usual, there are some rewards for racking up kills without dying, granting players an EMP upon getting a 13 killstreak and the ability to summon mosquito swarms as cover on a 15 killstreak. There’s also a new perk called the Assassin Vest, which makes players immune to UAV scans and doesn’t pop skulls on the minimap upon performing an execution.

The three new maps take you to a coastal town in ‘Greece’, a blood-drenched close-quarters slaughterhouse called ‘Meat’, and a ‘Training Facility’ set in a warehouse that enables 2v2 gunfights. Building on that, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III brings back two fan-favourite modes — the All or Nothing equips players with throwing knives and an empty pistol, taking them with slowly upgrading armaments via killstreaks and perk activations. Then there’s the standard round-based Gunfight with small teams. Ranked Play is expected to drop later in Season 1, alongside promotional skins for the upcoming Denis Villeneuve movie Dune: Part 2 — Paul Atredis and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen — and an in-game event titled ‘Trial of Power.’ There are no specifics of the event yet, but we can assume that the timing of the collaboration had to do with the film’s delay from November to March 2024 due to the Hollywood labour strikes. Still, a weird game to pick for promoting Dune 2.

Over on Warzone, Call of Duty’s long-running battle-royale mode, the brand-new Urzikstan map is now live, throwing you onto a greyish metropolis punctuated by lavish resorts, power mills, a military base, a luxurious mansion and more. Activision describes it as a point where the Middle East meets Europe — or to put it more bluntly in the game’s universe, it’s located on the ‘easter border of the Black Sea and bordering Al Mazrah.’ As previously reported, the map adds a few unique mechanics for traversal such as horizontal ziplines and a drivable train, whose speed can be controlled by players using dedicated levers. Of course, one could also flip the brakes by heading to the backside. With such major changes comes a new 1v1 Gulag called ‘Silo,’ which is entirely symmetrical but will be varied based on luck.

Season 1 also brings a new story mission to the Zombies mode, plopping a ‘massive gateway’ in the Exclusion Zone for players to investigate. Additionally, there’s a new battle pass, promising new weapon unlocks such as the XRX Stalker, RAM-7, and Stormender, which can be added to your loadout. The Call of Duty roadmap also reveals plans for Christmas-themed events and game modes, a skin for A-Train from the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys, and more — you can check out the complete patch notes on the official website.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 1 is now live on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X.

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Everything You Need to Know About The Game Awards 2023: When and How to Watch in India, Nominees, and More

The Game Awards is back for its 2023 edition, signalling that time of the year when the industry and fans gather together to celebrate the best in video games. Marking the 10th iteration of the Geoff Keighley-hosted show, the annual event is held in high regard by developers worldwide, who will be competing in 31 categories that acknowledge games across genres. As usual, the ceremony will be spruced up by big announcements and trailers for upcoming titles, backed by a dedicated musical orchestra conducted by returning composer Lorne Balfe. There haven’t been as many leaks this year, so anticipation is high as gamers keep their fingers crossed hoping for the biggest reveals.

Given how the trailers and awards are spaced out, host Keighley once again expects The Game Awards to run for around three hours, albeit this year, Valve isn’t giving out free Steam Decks every minute to online viewers. Instead, the company is doing a sweepstake to hand out 100 Steam Deck OLEDs (1TB models) to the lucky few — residing in North America, Europe, and select Asian regions — who can all enter once the show goes live. There aren’t any big changes to the nominations this year, but Keighley has confirmed that the creators are moving away from using the ‘World Premiere’ card at the start of their announcements to treat every trailer or first look as ‘great game content.’

Security is also getting tightened, as we’ve seen two instances of stage crashers walking in to interrupt good moments and making absurd comments — the first one occurred during The Game Awards 2022 when Elden Ring lifted the trophy for Game of the Year, while the other occurred at Summer Game Fest, earlier this year. Understandably, Keighley hasn’t gone into the specifics of the beefed-up measures.

The Game Awards 2023: Date and time

The Game Awards 2023 kicks off on Thursday, December 7 at 4:30pm PT/ 7:30pm ET, just like last time. For India, this translates to early morning Friday, December 8 at 6am IST with plans to end at 9:30am — not the most comfortable time to catch up on the biggest gaming event of the year. The first thirty minutes of that runtime will be dedicated to a pre-show, hosted by Sydnee Goodman, serving as a way for smaller developers to showcase their games and content creators to talk about what they’re expecting from the show.

So if you’re only planning to watch the main show, tune in at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET in the US and 6:30am in India.

The Game Awards 2023: How to watch?

The ceremony will be held live from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles with an in-person audience, but as always, there’s a simultaneous livestream planned. You can watch The Game Awards 2023 for free on its official Twitch and YouTube channels, in addition to major platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook Live, Steam, TikTok Live, and Instagram Live. Of course, one could also watch it through other gaming livestreamers’ channels, who will have registered to co-stream the event and react to it. Viewers in India can also stream the show live on Disney+ Hotstar, MX Player, Voot, JioTV, and Loco, and can tune into YouTube Gaming for a Hindi-language feed.

Or you can just watch the embedded stream below:

In case you happen to miss The Game Awards live, a VOD will be published soon after the event ends and there are always 4K uploads of the trailers and biggest moments, available individually on its official YouTube channel.

What to expect from The Game Awards 2023?

One of the biggest reasons players tune into The Game Awards is to learn about any upcoming games and have their unrealistically high expectations checked. Larian Studios will finally unveil when Baldur’s Gate 3 will be coming to Xbox, which is still on track for release this month, as promised. The studio was initially facing trouble with incorporating split-screen co-op on the Xbox Series S due to its technical limitations, so it will be interesting to know whether the team decided to ditch it or maintain content parity. There’s also some exclusive Xbox reveals in store for us at The Game Awards, which many are hoping is a tease for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II news.

Meanwhile, SEGA has been sending letters to fighting game content creators around the world with the quote ‘New Era New Energy,’ promising some exciting stuff. Supermassive Games — best known for the choice-based horror titles like the Dark Pictures anthology — is collaborating with Behaviour Interactive to develop a single-player game based within the universe of Dead by Daylight. Staying with the horror theme, The Outlast Trials developer Red Barrels has planned an ‘important broadcast’ for us. Then, Epic Games prepares to show a trailer for Rocket Racing, a car racing game mode built within Fortnite, featuring all the exaggerated mechanics from Rocket League such as boosting and taking flight. The mode is expected to launch for free on December 8, but the publisher plans to show something at the awards show.

The Game Awards’ official Twitter account briefly teased a Hideo Kojima announcement using a side-eyes emoji, before getting deleted. This could very well be a trailer for Death Stranding 2, which was revealed at last year’s event via a cryptic teaser with returning leads Léa Seydoux and Norman Reedus. So yeah, its game director Hideo Kojima is also expected to make an appearance, having arrived in Los Angeles earlier this week. Fans also expect FromSoftware to drop a trailer and release date for the much-awaited Elden Ring DLC ‘Shadow of the Erdtree,’ announced last year, with hints pointing at a new explorable region and the presence of the Empyrian Miquella. While it was initially believed that the expansion would be out in early 2024, an interview from last week suggests that it’s ‘a little ways off’ but promises new battles and characters.

Reports claim Arkane Studios will showcase its next title at The Game Awards 2023, which is expected to be Dishonored 3 — details of which emerged from the Microsoft v US FTC court proceedings in September. We might also get another glimpse at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the untitled Mass Effect game, Tekken 8, Hades 2, and more.

The Game Awards 2023 presenters

To honour the winners, Keighley loves mixing things up by inviting both game industry titans and Hollywood actors. Christopher Judge, who played Kratos in the God of War reboot games, is returning to the stage to present an award this year — presumably for Best Performance, given he was the winner last year. Other standout presenters include Anthony Mackie, whose show Twisted Metal is also competing in the Best Adaptation category; Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella; and famous DJ and EDM artist Zedd. Besides them, the lead cast of the Fallout series will be making an appearance at The Game Awards 2023 — specifically Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, and Aaron Moten.

Alan Wake 2 fans are in for a treat as the Poets of the Fall band will be performing a musical piece live on stage, under its in-game alter ego Old Gods of Asgard. And as we all know, Keighley’s love for Muppets knows no bounds, so The Great Gonzo will also be around as a presenter.

The Game Awards 2023 nominees

As mentioned before, The Game Awards 2023 plays host to 31 categories, from which Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 are tied for eight nominations each, in addition to competing for the prestigious Game of the Year trophy. Other GOTY nominees include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Keighley is strictly sticking to his six nominations rule, despite an extremely strong year for gaming. There are some strong contenders for Best Adaptation as well, with favourites being HBO’s The Last of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The nominee list also sparked some debate on what constitutes an ‘independent game’ when people online noticed that Dave the Diver, the pixelated roguelike about deepsea fishing and selling sushi, was nominated as ‘Best Independent Game.’ The thing is, despite its aesthetic, the game is developed by Mintrocket, which belongs to a massive South Korean publisher Nexon — making it technically not indie. Keighley addressed these concerns in a live Q&A stating that the word ‘indie’ could mean different to different people — “Does independent mean the budget of the game? Does independent mean where the source of financing was? Is it based on the team size? Is it the kind of independent spirit of a game, meaning kind of a smaller game that’s different?”, he said (via Kotaku), adding that the concern is justified.

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Cyberpunk 2077’s Final Major Update Brings Metro Service, Romantic Hangouts, Improved Bosses, More

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting the last major update before developer CD Projekt Red moves on to the next project. Dubbed ‘Update 2.1,’ the patch finally brings the long-requested metro system, the ability to hang out with romantic partners, radios, and a ton of quality-of-life changes. It drops alongside the Ultimate Edition on December 5 at 4:30pm IST in India/ 12pm CET in Europe. Bear in mind that this is a free downloadable update, so it won’t be included natively in the physical disc versions releasing on the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. That said, the 2.0 Update released in September will be included across all versions, entirely overhauling the perk system and adding a range of tech augmentations, which weren’t present in the original 2020 version.

Once the update goes live, the protagonist V will be able to access the in-game metro service to travel between 19 destinations, punctuated across five railway lines. The public transit system can be accessed via a special card, and the players themselves can chill out on the seats and soak in the sights of Night City, amongst other NPC passengers busy staring at screens or napping. The feature was originally shown in the Cyberpunk 2077 cinematic trailer and three years later, becomes finally accessible after finishing the Konpeki Plaza sequence. Of course, one can always skip the travelling cutscene and just jump into the next location once the immersion starts getting repetitive. Your pocket will also be filled with a radio system, which lets you scroll through multiple frequencies and listen to the music you like while walking through the streets and in vehicles. The music will turn off during dialogue sequences, though.

Since its launch, Cyberpunk 2077 players have expressed their desire to just hang back and spend quality time with their in-game romantic partners. That’s now possible in Update 2.1, with V having the option to invite back people to ‘any of the apartments’ for an unlimited number of times, as long as the romance path has been completed successfully. Another thing that’s replayable is car races, which can be accessed by visiting red flag icons scattered across the map, to make big eddies. One must complete ‘The Beast in Me’ quest for this section to unlock, with CD Projekt Red claiming that the enemy racers’ AI has been made significantly smarter to make these experiences more thrilling and challenging. Adding to the immersion are sightseeing binoculars that let you observe various scenic vistas in the world of Cyberpunk.

Other major improvements include not-so-clunky bike combat, minor bug fixes, and better boss fights. It’s unclear what the developer means by that, though the patch notes detail that the ruthless Adam Smasher can now activate the Sandevistan perk, letting him blink around the map and get close to you before slashing down. A range of visual and lighting enhancements, weapon balance changes, new bikes to purchase, and vehicular tricks are all available in Update 2.1 — a complete list of which you can browse in the official blog post. Cyberpunk 2077 had a rocky launch in 2020, characterised by low framerates and bugs, forcing the developer to fix the game in the following years through numerous patches and hotfixes. It is in a far better state now, with the Phantom Liberty expansion earning it nominations in The Game Awards 2023.

Both Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition and its Update 2.1 release December 5 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.

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GTA 6 Trailer Coming This Tuesday, Rockstar Games Confirms

Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer release date is finally upon us, as confirmed by Rockstar Games via a tweet. The first footage from the highly-anticipated crime odyssey sequel will be out on Tuesday, December 5, at 7:30pm IST in India/ 9am ET in the US, with the publisher only posting an image of a sunset and palm tree silhouettes — confirming previous claims that it’s set in a fictionalised version of Miami, which franchise veterans might recognise as a return to Vice City. With that, it is clear that Geoff Keighley won’t be presenting the trailer at The Game Awards 2023, though a teaser or some screenshot drops are always possible.

Not much was known about GTA 6 since a massive data leak from mid-2022, which revealed in-development gameplay of our lead crime couple — allegedly Jason and Lucia — robbing a diner in broad daylight. Yep, this would mark the first female protagonist in the franchise’s controversial history, which has, for the most part, portrayed women as sex objects or nagging moms/wives. It is also worth mentioning that Rockstar hasn’t revealed an official title for the game yet, merely referring to it as the ‘next Grand Theft Auto,’ so it could very well be a spin-off with some outlandish subtitle. The sequel has been a long time coming, with a May earnings call at Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive hinting that the GTA 6 launch window could be set for the fiscal year 2025 (opens in April 2024 in Rockstar’s case).

Earlier this month, the studio also scrapped the ‘Social Club’ branding from the website, referring to its online multiplayer service as ‘Rockstar Games platform,’ in addition to getting rid of the yellow block in its logo — hinting at some big changes to usher in the new era. At the time of writing, the studio has deleted all previous posts from its Instagram account, maintaining only the aforementioned trailer release date banner. As anticipation for GTA 6 grew, GTA Online served as the decade-long cash cow for Rockstar, delivering near-endless multiplayer content that easily rivalled the average AAA live service game. For now, it’s unclear whether the existing Social Club members will simply be updated to cater to the new entry or if players will be forced to migrate their data to a new account.

As of October, the 2013-released Grand Theft Auto V has sold 190 million copies worldwide, with minor graphical and performance upgrades to adjust to two whole console generations. Just yesterday, Rockstar confirmed that its remastered Grand Theft Auto trilogy will be available to play on Netflix from December 14 onwards — accessible to subscribers of all tiers and playable exclusively on Android, iOS, and the Netflix phone app.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will probably release on the current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series S/X first, before heading to PC — as seen with previous Rockstar entries.

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GTA 6 Trailer Countdown: Rockstar Games Removes ‘Social Club’ Branding From Site Ahead of Release

Rockstar has removed the Social Club branding from its website, presumably in anticipation of GTA 6. As per the news account @videotechuk_ on Twitter, the publisher has replaced the nomenclature with simply ‘Rockstar Games’ and scrapped any references to ‘Social Club members.’ The online gaming service is also missing the old logo now, though players can still engage in multiplayer elements and accrue member-exclusive rewards from games like Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2. For now, it’s unclear whether Rockstar would launch a new platform or simply update the existing application to usher in the new era, but traces of the branding still remain in-game.

“Most of the Social Club mentions are gone, completely. An end of an era,” the tweet reads, showing differences between the old and new info page, which now refers to subscribers as ‘Rockstar Games members.’ People online have also noticed that the signature Rockstar logo, which used to be black and yellow is now black-and-white. Sam Houser, co-founder of the studio previously confirmed that the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 will be out in early December, which also marks the 25th anniversary celebration for Rockstar. While it’s generally expected that the trailer might drop during Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards 2023 on the 8th, the publisher has, in the past, avoided making announcements at third-party shows, instead releasing it on their official channels.

Rockstar has stayed utterly silent on any GTA 6 updates since revealing that it’s under development in 2022, presumably set in a fictionalised version of Miami and featuring two protagonists. An earnings report from parent company Take-Two, however, suggests that the game is eyeing a release in the fiscal year 2025, which in this case, is a window that opens in April 2024. The studio also suffered a massive data leak of in-development gameplay footage that showed the lead characters — an unnamed man and a woman — engaging in a daytime heist at a local diner. Marking the first female lead in the franchise, the tale is reportedly inspired by Bonnie and Clyde, the real-life American criminal couple who went around robbing banks and stores in the country, amidst the Great Depression.

It’s been 11 years since Grand Theft Auto V dropped on consoles, with Rockstar keeping it alive through minor performance upgrades for two generations and via GTA Online, the cash cow that offers near-endless multiplayer content for players. As of October, the game has sold 190 million copies worldwide, within which, a dataminer has now uncovered a string that points towards a sequel to Bully. The game has been long-rumoured to be in development, thanks to a leaked mocap casting call that mainly looked for teenagers — Rockstar never responded to the claims.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will probably release on the current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series S/X first, before heading to PC — as seen with previous Rockstar entries.

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Call of Duty 2024 Is Reportedly a Black Ops Entry, Set During the Gulf War

Call of Duty release in 2024 is reportedly a new entry in the Black Ops series, set around the 1990s Gulf War. As per Windows Central, the title will feature a ‘nuanced’ narrative that jumps between different factions within the conflict, connecting to the Cold War. Keeping with the time period, weaponry and gadgets will bear a traditional look and feel, unlike the futuristic holographic-sited guns we’ve seen in recent Call of Duty games. Hopefully, Activision takes some lessons from the poorly-received Modern Warfare 3 and doubles down on the campaign aspects — otherwise, building the overarching lore seems futile, as players would simply begin skipping it for multiplayer.

As previously reported, Treyarch is leading development on Call of Duty 2024, having shifted its launch cycle by a year. For the uninitiated, Activision rotates between its three main developers for its annual Call of Duty games — Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games — but broke the pattern last year by moving Treyarch’s Call of Duty from 2023 to 2024, leading to the short Modern Warfare 3 getting released early. The untitled Black Ops game is said to feature a two-year life cycle, with the promise of a lengthier early access period as a pre-order bonus. As per Windows Central, keen players will be able to experience the base game ‘several days’ before release, and weeks for multiplayer and Zombies modes. The title has been codenamed ‘Cerberus’ and marks a return of the round-based Zombies mode — a detour from the newly-launched MW3, which turned it into an open-world affair.

In July, actor Luke Charles Stafford (Secret Society of Lies) inadvertently leaked on Facebook that he was serving as the model for Call of Duty 2024’s lead role, which at the time was named Ratcliffe — which according to InsiderGaming, could very well be based on the British soldier Peter Ratcliffe, who was instrumental during the aforementioned Gulf War. Circling back to multiplayer, leaked images from earlier this year suggest that classic maps from the Black Ops series will return, though some of them could always be post-launch DLC. The game also has the added responsibility of winning back its core fanbase since fumbling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which currently holds a 56 rating on Metacritic. Activision has also held back on divulging sale numbers or flaunting its player base unlike last year’s Modern Warfare 2, which made $800 million (about Rs. 6,668 crore) in its first three days. The publisher put out a thank you note claiming that players have spent more time in MW3 than the remaining reboot trilogy, with no figures to back it up.

Last month, Microsoft finally completed its long-gestating acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with CEO Phil Spencer claiming that the Call of Duty franchise will maintain ‘100 percent parity‘ across all platforms, ensuring that PlayStation players don’t miss out on any exclusive content or limited-time early access or platform-exclusive beta weekends. The company also plans to bring the older COD catalogue to Xbox Game Pass by next year.

The new Call of Duty Black Ops game is expected to launch in late 2024, presumably across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.

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