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South Korean video game developer and publisher Pearl Abyss has revealed that Crimson Desert, its upcoming open-world fantasy experience, is launching in late 2025. Prior to working on Crimson Desert, the company released the popular MMORPG ****** Desert Online, among other titles. View the full article

Activision has outlined the steps it’s taken to combat cheating in Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 after Ranked Mode came under fire by fans. Ranked, ****** Ops 6’s most competitive Multiplayer mode, began November 21 but reaction so far has been largely negative. This is because of the apparent prevalence of cheaters who are ruining the integrity of the mode. And yes, as has become Call of Duty tradition, console players are turning off crossplay in a bid to avoid PC cheaters. In a new blog post, Activision’s Team Ricochet, the division responsible for its Call of Duty anti-cheat tech, admitted not enough had been done to prevent cheating with the launch of Season 1. “After a series of updates our systems are in a better place today across all modes; however, we did not hit the mark for the integration of Ricochet Anti-Cheat at the launch of Season 01 — particularly for Ranked Play,” Activision said. “We understand the promise of glory and notoriety from Ranked Play leaderboards makes Ranked Play an attractive target for cheaters. For this reason, our teams have been especially focused on turning the tide to deliver the competitive arena our players seek.” Activision said account bans are now happening hourly due to increased “velocity” from several Ricochet Anti-Cheat systems, in addition to the over 19,000 accounts it’s removed recently. Cleanup of the Ranked leaderboards, which has suffered greatly from cheaters, is now faster, Activision said. And Activision has “significantly expanded” its Replay Investigation render farm (the machines used to generate clips for examination.) The company said it’s also ramped up the group dedicated to manually reviewing clips based on a priority order that favors detections. “In the last several weeks, the Replay tool updates have been highly effective at validating detections and reports, providing further training for AI systems for the anti-cheat team, and removing cheaters,” Activision added. The things you work so hard to earn (Ranked Play status, camos, etc.) are attractive targets to cheaters who want nice things but don’t like to put in the work. Activision also promised more updates to come for its Ricochet Anti-Cheat systems, including its kernel-level driver and brand-new server-side protections. These are set to launch during Season 2 and 3. In the meantime, Activision encouraged players to enable 2FA on their account, and report cheaters in-game. “The things you work so hard to earn (Ranked Play status, camos, etc.) are attractive targets to cheaters who want nice things but don’t like to put in the work,” Activision said. “The Ricochet Anti-Cheat team will be continuing its work to fight cheaters throughout the remainder of the month. While we have made progress, we know more needs to be done and we’re eager to share details of our planned major updates coming in the new year.” Most Activision anti-cheat updates are met with a healthy dose of scepticism from hardcore fans, and this latest one is no different. Cheating is not unique to Call of Duty of course, but it has become a significant reputation issue for Activision ever since the free-to-download battle royale Warzone exploded in popularity back in 2020. The mega publisher has spent millions of dollars developing its anti-cheat technology as well as pursuing cheat makers in the courts, with a number of recent high-profile successes. In October, ahead of the launch of ****** Ops 6, Activision said that it aimed to kick cheaters out of the game within one hour of them being in their first match. ****** Ops 6 launched with an updated version of Ricochet's kernel-level driver (this also applied to Warzone), with new machine-learning behavioral systems focused on speed of detection and the analysis of gameplay to combat aim bots in place. "The people behind cheats are organized, ******** groups that pick apart every piece of data within our games to look for some way to make cheating possible," Activision said at the time. "These bad guys are not just some script kiddies poking around with code they found online. They are a collective who profit from exploiting the hard work of game developers across the industry. "But cheat developers are flawed (clearly — they have to pretend to be good at video games). Every time they cheat, they leave breadcrumbs behind. We’re always looking for those breadcrumbs to find the bad actors and get them out of the game." Wesley is the *** News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at *****@*****.tld. View the full article

I still think Volcanoids has one of the absolutely coolest ideas for a survival game, with your base being a big moving drill that burrows through the earth and it just keeps on getting better. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Zotac briefly leaked listings for five graphics cards from Nvidia's upcoming GeForce RTX 5000 series. The mistake marks the first official confirmation that the lineup, codenamed Blackwell, continues the RTX branding. More information regarding video memory arrangements has also emerged. Read Entire Article View the full article

Wayward is an Early Access wilderness survival roguelike that's highly rated by players, and it just had a massive update launch with "Runekeeper". Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Fortnite's Legendary Bush item is returning to the OG game mode once the next update drops. Ever since Chapter 1 ended and Athena Island was replaced with Apollo Island, players have been asking Epic Games to add a second map to Fortnite featuring the OG Battle Royale island. Epic has tried out various options, such as Fortnite Season OG and allowing gamers to make their own custom Chapter 1 islands in Creative mode, but it just didn't feel the same. View the full article

Stoneshard is a very challenging open-world RPG currently in Early Access and the latest major release is a really big one. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

If you've been hankering to complete your Total War: Warhammer collection or waiting for the right time to jump into Creative Assembly's enormous strategy series, Humble Bundle's latest deal may be just the ticket. Right now, you can grab up to 75% off each of the three mainline Total War: Warhammer games - Total War: Warhammer, Total War: Warhammer II, and Total War: Warhammer III - and up to 50% off a selection of the trilogy's DLC. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Every Total War: Warhammer game is on ***** for at least 50% YouTuber memorises Warhammer Tomb King's 6 minute long name Sculptor reveals how Total Warhammer Dread Saurian was born View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

If you've been itching to check out more co-op DnD games after spending time with Baldur's Gate 3, then Dungeons and Dragons Dark Alliance is worth looking at. The forgotten and overlooked co-op adventure launched to a mixed reception in 2021, but if it ends up looking like a game you and some friends might enjoy, consider this me giving you ample warning. Dark Alliance is being delisted from Steam fairly soon, and while you can still play it after that, you won't be able to buy it or use the servers. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance review - hurt me plenty Unlike Outriders, co-op DnD brawler Dark Alliance hits PC Game Pass on day one Dark Alliance is a frantic ARPG, but somehow it's still a DnD game View the full article

Awaria is the latest game from vanripper, the mind behind Helltaker, and after getting through the difficult gameplay and reaching the end, you might notice one pesky achievement is left to unlock—Choking Hazard. The achievement has puzzled a few players online already, with many wondering what you need to do to unlock it. After all, in a game about fixing things, there isn’t exactly a lot of food scattered around. As such, it can be easy to miss if you don’t know what button to press. View the full article

A new Genshin Impact 5.3 leak has revealed when and where the Pyro Traveler will be officially unlocked for players to control, and not only is the setting familiar, but it seems redesigned with an ominous new element. The Pyro version of the Traveler is the first that could not automatically be unlocked upon reaching a new region. Previously, players only needed to interact with a Statue of the Seven in the region they were visiting and resonate with the element. This has not worked with the Pyro Traveler in Genshin Impact since the release of Natlan in Version 5.0. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Great was the adulation last week when FromSoftware announced a new Elden Ring game, Elden Ring: Nightreign - and great the lamentation from certain quarters when it was revealed to be a co-op-focussed experience. If you missed the reveal, perhaps because you value sleep over the spectacle of Geoff Keighley's fashion friends, let me catch you up: in Nightreign, you pick from one of eight preset characters and explore a parallel-universe version of Elden Ring's Limgrave map, fighting lesser foes and levelling up quickly so as to prepare for a boss battle at the end of each 15-minute in-game day. Read more View the full article

The new Legends of Darkshire 3D printable scenery range, currently seeking funds on Kickstarter, looks absolutely spot on for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns set in dark and gothic worlds. As big fans of the classic DnD horror setting Ravenloft, and the gothic grandeur of Dark Souls' Anor Londo, everyone in the Wargamer office is drooling over this kit. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: All DnD classes explained Festive DnD homebrew lets you fight the ultimate final boss, Mariah Carey All DnD races and species explained View the full article

The Magic: The Gathering card Mox Opal, unbanned in Modern on December 16, 2024, has skyrocketed in price, with TCGPlayer data showing the card selling today for $124 more than it did yesterday. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Latest MTG Modern ban destroys The One Ring Blue MTG card price spikes 300% thanks to multi-deck demand Aetherdrift brings many new planes to MTG's multiverse View the full article

Fortnite loves to tease players with mysterious landmarks and hints about what will happen later in the season. This season, a portal similar to the ones where ****** Warriors come from appeared in the snowy area near Warrior’s Watch. At the moment, it seems dormant, but players have some ideas about what it is for. There is some debate about what will happen when this portal is activated. One theory suggests we will travel to the spirit realm where the Oni warriors live. This could be either during the season or as part of an event towards the end. Traveling to another world or dimension would be interesting, especially if it involves the current storyline. Will we be rescuing ***** by visiting the spirit realm? Or will these portals become fast travel points for quick movement across the map? View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

An industry insider has shared an update on the rumored Far Cry 7, revealing that the upcoming entry in Ubisoft's popular open-world series has been internally delayed from 2025 to 2026. Far Cry 7 has yet to be confirmed by Ubisoft, but previous reports claim that the next entry is now in development alongside a Far Cry multiplayer game, which is currently being worked on under the codename Maverick and is an extraction-based shooter. View the full article

Grinding Gear Games continues to tinker away on Path of Exile 2, fixing some of the "key pain points" of the otherwise superb early access ARPG. Full patch notes for the latest set of upcoming changes are on their way, but in the meantime the developer has revealed some of the major improvements heading to Wraeclast—not least of which is a change to passive skill respecs... Read more.View the full article

Silent Hill 2 Remake is perhaps the biggest horror game of this year. Meanwhile, distant rumblings of Resident Evil 9 or maybe a new version of Code Veronica continue - Dying Light The Beast and Alien Isolation 2 are also in the works. But while we wait for the next generation of nightmare fuel, one of 2024's best but most underplayed horrors just got a transformative free update, and is worth playing now more than ever. A mix of old-school Resident Evil, Silent Hill-style psychological subtext, and aesthetics from Cyberpunk 2077, if you haven't tried Hollowbody yet, it suddenly feels like an entirely new game. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Hollowbody is one of 2024's scariest horror games, and it just got even better Mixing Cyberpunk and Silent Hill, Hollowbody nails horror game design Hollowbody is like a horror version of Cyberpunk, and it's coming soon View the full article

Marvel Rivals continues to shine, and some beautiful new skins are being introduced with the Winter Celebration event, bringing a festive look to a select few of the characters on the stacked roster. Skins in Marvel Rivals have proven to be a popular addition to the game, with a bunch of MCU-inspired outfits to entirely new designs, and additional skins will be introduced regularly—including in special events. View the full article

Even though castle doodling simulator Tiny Glade has a lot of flexibility in letting your imagination run wild, the game still features a few restrictions that can affect your builds. A prime example of this is the limitation on how many lights you can adorn your buildings with. Usually, you're stuck with a measly 32, but thanks to a new winter update, now you can add enough lights to make your builds visible from space... Read more.View the full article

Quick, the world is in peril, your adopted daughter is under threat, and nearby villagers are being terrorised by monsters. What do you do? Oh, you're sitting down at a cosy table in the local tavern. You're playing a card game with a dude called "Aldert". The wind outside is howling, and so are the nightwraiths, but you're just sitting there. Playing another "cow" card. Okay. Guess you'll be happy to learn that the Witcher 4 developers have more or less confirmed that Gwent will be making a return in the recently trailered Ciri-led sequel. Read more View the full article

Until very recently, Witch Beam’s cozy puzzle game Unpacking still had several copycats on Nintendo’s eShop despite co-creator Wren Brier calling attention to the situation two weeks ago. After its release in 2021, Unpacking received predominantly positive reviews and took home a gamut of awards, including BAFTA’s EE Game of the Year and DICE’s Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game, as well as nods for narrative, sound design, accessibility, animation, environmental art, and game design from other outlets. View the full article

Too many people lock in a DPS hero in Marvel Rivals, and it's impossible to get them to change. I've been playing the NetEase Games hero shooter most evenings since launch, and I'm often the only healer, fighting a Sisyphean battle to keep more than just my tank alive. People keep locking in Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, or Hela so often that the moment I see a fellow healer I can't help but celebrate. Overwatch fixed its team balance problem with a role ******, but the creative director on Marvel Rivals says it currently has no plans for a similar system. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Marvel Rivals codes December 2024 - free Iron Man Model 42 skin New Marvel Rivals update reveals festive event that makes Jeff the star Marvel Rivals tier list December 2024 View the full article

When is the Elden Ring Nightreign release date? Your time in the Lands Between isn't over just yet, Tarnished. Or should that be Nightfarer? This standalone multiplayer game is the closest FromSoftware fans can get to an official Elden Ring co-op mode, and we couldn't be more excited to get stuck into some jolly cooperation. Elden Ring Nightreign is set in a parallel universe to that of the soulslike game we all know and love, paving the way for new possibilities. This co-op adventure shrinks the boundaries of Elden Ring's open world to a single area. Limveld is a procedurally generated "open-air dungeon" populated with random enemies, locations, and even surprise cameos pulled from other FromSoftware titles. Gather your fellow Nightfarers and prepare for Elden Ring Nightreign, as we delve into everything we know ahead of the release date. Read the rest of the story... View the full article

Between Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six Siege, and Star Wars Outlaws, there was a time, not that long ago, where you could only get the fullest experience of Ubisoft's games if you played via the studio's own Connect launcher. But with Skull and Bones having made the jump to Valve's platform, alongside other new works like Prince of Persia The Lost Crown and Assassin's Creed Mirage, it seems that the Far Cry maker is expanding its reach. Now it's Ghost Recon's turn. After AC ****** Flag and AC Unity recently got Steam achievements, the open-world squad shooter is suddenly following suit. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Here are the Ghost Recon Breakpoint system requirements More Ubisoft NFT games are coming, publisher threatens Ubisoft confirms Ghost Recon Breakpoint is dead View the full article