The fast-paced flag-capturing FPS series Tribes will return from the dead once again next week with the early access launch of Tribes 3: Rivals. Over the weekend, developers Prophecy Games announced March 12th is the date, with the full launch to follow after up to a year. Prophecy are spun off from Hi-Rez Studios, the folks who who made Tribes: Ascend, which officially shut down a few years back. I hear this next one’s pretty fun.
A fake ransomware gang has said it lied when it claimed to have hacked Fortnite maker Epic Games.
A group calling itself Mogilevich had claimed to have accessed Epic Games data and threatened to release its data unless it was paid. But Epic itself denied it had been hacked, and now Mogilevich has admitted the scam.
Cyber Daily quoted a Mogilevich spokesperson who said the group tried to trick hackers into buying hacking tools. “In reality, we are not a ransomware-as-a-service, but professional fraudsters,” the spokesperson said. “None of the databases listed in our blog were as true as you might have discovered recently. We took advantage of big names to gain visibility as quickly as possible, but not to fame and receive approval, but to build meticulously our new trafficking of victims to scam.”
“Now the real question is, why confess all this when we could just run away?” the spokesperson continued. “This was done to illustrate the process of our scam. We don’t think of ourselves as hackers but rather as criminal geniuses, if you can call us that.”
As Cyber Daily points out, even this confession may be a lie. But what is clear is Mogilevich is not behind a hack of Epic Games or any other organization. Indeed, Epic Games itself had issued a statement insisting there was “zero evidence” Mogilevich’s claims were legitimate.
“Mogilievich has not contacted Epic or provided any proof of the veracity of these allegations,” Epic said in a statement issued to Eurogamer. “When we saw these allegations, which were a screenshot of a darkweb webpage in a tweet from a third party, we began investigating within minutes and reached out to Mogilevich for proof. Mogilevich has not responded. The closest thing we have seen to a response is this tweet, where they allegedly ask for $15k and ‘proof of funds’ to hand over the purported data.”
While this case is a scam, video game companies are on high alert after a series of hacks in recent years that have resulted in the release of stolen data.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
As any fool knows, the age of girlies bulk-buying silver wire and making their own crystal jewellery at home is over, but EA always arrives precisely when it means to. This weekend saw the release of the Crystal Creations Stuff Pack, a DLC for The Sims 4 that takes the ability to find crystals (already in the game) and straps on your Sims making them into semi-precious, semi-magic jewellery that can be charged up by the moon. What I find more interesting is that this launched with some official IRL Sims plumbob jewellery that you can buy and wear around your own precious, swan-like neck.
The Star Wars strategy game in development at Bit Reactor and produced by Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi developer Respawn has survived after the recent mass layoffs at EA.
EA announced plans in February 2024 to lay off around 670 workers, cancel or close games, and move away from future licensed intellectual property.
The publisher currently has several confirmed Star Wars and Marvel games in development, including a third Jedi game, Black Panther, and Iron Man. But EA canceled Respawn’s Star Wars first person shooter, which was announced last year but had not yet been fully revealed.
Some had expressed concern about the fate of the Star Wars strategy game, but a tweet by developer Bit Reactor confirmed it survived the cull.
“Last week was difficult for the industry, and more so because of our strong relationships within the other teams at Respawn,” Bit Reactor said. “But for those asking, we are still hard at work, and our game was unaffected by last week’s news.”
In a subsequent tweet responding to a question asking when the Star Wars strategy game would be unveiled, Bit Reactor said: “As soon as it’s ready…”
EA announced the Star Wars strategy game in January 2022 alongside two others all overseen in one form or another by Respawn. We now know the FPS has fallen by the wayside, leaving Star Wars Jedi 3 and the strategy game in development. Neither have release windows. Bit Reactor was formed by Firaxis Games veterans best-known for their work on the XCOM franchise.
Announcing the layoffs, EA boss Andrew Wilson said the company would now double down on owned IP, sports, and “massive online communities.” This marks yet another major blow to the games industry amid ongoing mass layoffs at studios of all sizes. The cuts impacted roughly 10,000 developers in 2023, and are approaching 8,000 in just the first two months of 2024.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
I still don’t fully understand the rancor with which the RTX 4070 Ti is often regarded. Where some see an overpriced, memory-deprived albatross of a graphics card, I’ve only ever seen a fast and feature-rich GPU whose 12GB of VRAM is demonstrably fine for 99.95% of games at 4K. A better deal than the RTX 4080 for that resolution, in any case.
Now, though, we can all agree: nobody should buy an RTX 4070 Ti. Not when the RTX 4070 Ti Super is here, doing a better, hopefully less contentious job of smooth 4K without demanding RTX 4080 (or, indeed, RTX 4080 Super) levels of investment.
Upcoming Shantae game will reportedly remain untouched.
WayForward, the developer behind the likes of the Shantae series and last year’s Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, has apparently suffered a data leak which has seen developmental prototypes and game backups posted online.
As noted on Twitter by Lance McDonald, the leaked information is said to have come from a discarded hard drive which was found, with much of its contents now having been dumped online.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Last week’s alleged Epic Games hack was a scam, so-called “ransomware” group Mogilevich have confessed, or at least, are reported to have confessed in a self-congratulary new statement. The group have not, it now seems, stolen a bunch of login data, WIP software and payment information from the creators of Fortnite; they were only pretending to have done so with a view to duping other hackers into buying their tools.
Or at least, that’s what they’re said to be saying now. I haven’t tracked down the original source for Mogilevich’s latest statement, and in any case, anything you read from a self-described “professional fraudster” should probably be treated with caution. Still, it lines up with Epic’s own comments last week that there was no real sign that a hack had taken place.
New week, new videogames, new newsblog. It’s another relatively quiet week for big name PC releases – no mega-sequels or adaptations, unless you’re seriously into the Moomins – but if 2024 has taught me anything it’s that a breakout hit can come from anywhere, and I will accordingly be watching this week’s new games with deep suspicion and barely constrained panic.
Here are the ones that seem most promising, at the time of writing: Warsaw-set magician RPG The Thaumaturge (4th March); spacey cube-obsessed factory sim Sixty Four (4th March); all-terrain open-worlder Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (5th March); co-op-skewed laboratory gorefest The Outlast Trials (5th March); circus horror Reveil (6th March); Sonic-maniac platformer Berserk Boy (6th March); Shadow of the Octopus ’em up Chasing The Unseen (7th March); storybook puzzler Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (7th March); XCOM-meets-Baldur’s-Gatea-like Zoria: Age of Shattering (7th March).
As ever, this list is sponsored by the Maw, that convoluted and churning force of cosmic greed, which we strive ever to keep stuffed full of videogame news, lest it guzzle down what we are pleased to call our reality. It’s an incomplete, working list of recommendations – if we’ve missed something you’re looking forward to, it’s absolutely because we despise it, and are secretly out to punish you for ever liking it. I mean, it’s because I ran out of time. Feel free to suggest games for coverage in the comments along with any breaking news we should pounce on. Have a good week!
Play your cards right.
Updated with the excellent Balatro and Pocket Card Jockey. Enjoy!
You’d be forgiven for thinking that physical tabletop gaming might have trouble surviving in this digital and ever-mobile age, but collectible card games and traditional board games are arguably more popular than ever. Excellent digital versions of household staples sit alongside entirely original offerings that serve up the full tabletop experience with added digital convenience. Online play can be a real lifesaver if you’re stuck indoors and can’t get to a friend’s house, and not needing to lug a weighty card collection around will do wonders for your posture, too.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The weekend is coming to a close, so it’s time to round up the best deals available this weekend across games, technology, and more! New titles are seeing discounts, and plenty of hardware is on sale, too. The best deals for Sunday, March 3, include the Samsung 55″ S90C 4K OLED TV, New Pokémon Snap, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, and more.
Amazon has both the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 copies of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk on sale right now. This spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio offers a ton of fun, with all kinds of activities to complete. You play as Red and join the Bomb Rush Crew, where you set off around the city to discover graffiti spots and get REP. All the flashy tricks you know and love are here, so this is a great title to sit back and unwind with.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is often praised as one of the best Pokémon games available on the Switch. This original title takes place far in the past, somewhere in the Hisui region. With a focus on exploration, you can freely walk all around the map to capture Pokémon, explore different environments, and so much more. You can save $15 at Best Buy this weekend on the best Pokémon experience Switch has to offer.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is the long-awaited remaster of the classic Wii game. Set at the beginning of the Zelda timeline, Skyward Sword takes Link to the skies as he traverses across the world to save his childhood friend Zelda. You’ll uncover the Master Sword was created as part of this journey, among other things. For $39.99, this is an excellent title to add to your Switch collection.
Walmart has an amazing deal this weekend on a 2023 Samsung OLED TV. Equipped with a gorgeous OLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, the latest titles for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will look gorgeous and fluid. You’ll save over $1100 with this deal, making this a price that could be hard to pass up if you’re in the market for a new OLED TV.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are an excellent choice if you’re searching for premium earbuds with noise cancellation technology that don’t comprise on the sound. These earbuds feature CustomTune sound calibration, which calibrates the sound and noise canceling automatically to fit your ears. Like the Apple AirPods Pro, you can switch between different settings of noise cancellation. Aware Mode lets in your surroundings and blends those sounds together with your music.
If you’ve been waiting to pick up a handheld PC, the ROG Ally is now available at Best Buy for just $399.99. Running Windows 11, the Ally is perfect to play your Steam games, play Xbox Game Pass, or even Android apps. With a 120Hz screen, each game you play will be presented with fluidity. You can even connect the ROG Ally to any TV with the included HDMI adapter and play your titles on the big screen when you’re not traveling or playing on the go.
Dead Space launched last January, and this is a great time to pick up the game if you haven’t already. This remake features an immpresive use of technology and a completely modernized cpmbat system. A special attention has been put on the audio, with 3D Audio technology utilized for an immersive experience. You can expect loads of thrills and horror as you look to escape the stranded ship. The USG Ishimura has never looked better or been scarier.
New Pokémon Snap was the long-awaited follow-up to Pokémon Snap on the Nintendo 64. The title lets you take pictures of Pokémon as you travel through the different islands that make up the Lental region. Every area has all kinds of wonders to see, so you never know what to expect. Additionally, you can unlock new courses by taking good pictures in New Pokémon Snap, leaving for a sizeable amount of content to unlock and discover.
The latest Armored Core title is on sale at Amazon right now, matching the previous low for the title. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating it had “excellent, explosive combat that manages to take very complex systems and mechanics and make them easy to understand and execute.”
Persona 3 Reload is already one of the biggest 2024 releases so far. The remake brings in new gameplay features, new voice actors, and an impressive slew of technology, including ray tracing. It’s already on sale right now at Amazon for $56.99, which saves you $13 off the game. If you’ve never experienced the story of Persona 3, this is the definitive way to do so.
Amazon has a sweet discount on Lego 2K Drive this weekend! If you’re a racing game fan and haven’t checked out this game yet, now is a great time to see what it’s about. This release went a little under the radar at launch, but it’s a fun time overall. We gave the game a 8/10 in our review, stating, “LEGO 2K Drive is a wild and whimsical all-ages kart racer with an incredible custom vehicle creation tool that’s just about worth the price of admission alone.”
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League just recently released last month, but it’s already on sale with a $20 discount this weekend at Best Buy. Developed by Rocksteady, you’ll be thrown into a world where Braniac has taken over Metropolis. The Justice League has been corrupted in the process, and it’s up to the Suicide Squad to take out each member of the Justice League and stop Braniac.
