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Photo illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Philip Pacheco, Bloomberg, Getty Images Despite Epic Games’ surprise win at trial, I was skeptical that Judge James Donato would seriously consider forcing Google to let the Epic Games Store live inside its own Google Play Store and give it access to every app inside Google Play. Those were two of the biggest demands that Epic revealed in April. But Judge Donato is indeed considering them. He’s ordered Google to calculate the costs of complying with those demands by June 24th, one month from today: Google will file by June 24, 2024, a proffer stating in detail the tech work required and economic costs, if any, to provide “Catalog Access” and “Library Porting” to competing app stores for a ******* of up to 6 years. See MDL Dkt. No. 952 at 7. The proffer may also address tech... Continue reading… View the full article

Like previous entries in the series, finding all the bobblehead locations in Fallout 4 can be laborious. However, thanks to the perks attached to each of these little Vault Boy toys, many players will find themselves searching for them across the wasteland. View the full article

Other features such as an in-game map overlay, Photo Mode, and the new Sigil Synthesis system are coming in this update. View the full article

Chickens have been a core part of the Counter-Strike experience since the days of 1.6, though players never had a real way of interacting with them apart from murdering them on the spot. However, new leaked animations imply we might soon be able to pick up and inspect chickens. The animations were shared by data miners on X (formerly Twitter) on May 24. They include three entirely new animations apparently meant to be seen from the first-person perspective, and given how they move, it is as if the chicken is being inspected by an invisible pair of hands. The chick is seemingly picked up and rocked from side to side while its little head ******** fixated on the player. These animations are currently inactive, though based on how detailed they are, “chicken inspection” could be just around the corner. View the full article

The massive cRPG is now fully compatible with Steam Deck and has officially been verified by Steam. View the full article

Overwatch 2 has released a new update with nerfs for Roadhog and Sigma. Competitive games often get tweaks to ensure the most balanced experience possible, and it's no different with Overwatch 2. The season 10 launch brought a slew of changes to Overwatch 2, as well as adjustments to the heroes through recurring updates. View the full article

Final Fantasy 14 is bringing back its free login campaign for players who have registered accounts that have become inactive. The Final Fantasy 14 event is on now and will run through June. View the full article

Grand Theft Auto 3, the game that launched Rockstar Games into the stratosphere, originally included an online multiplayer mode which was eventually canceled. Alongside GTA 3, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas are the only other main entries in the series to not feature online multiplayer. View the full article

To whatever degree meme games comprise a proper genre, they make up a tricky one. Games like Goat Simulator showed how much fun a buggy, silly experience could be, and plenty of titles have followed the path that it and other titles blazed. There's a fine line between intentionally silly and just plain lazy, however, and there's no shortage of offenders that have fallen more into the latter category. View the full article

One of the final playable characters that players will likely unlock near the end of their adventure in Vampire Survivors is Avatar Infernas, an extremely formidable vampire that offers high endgame-scaling for difficult Stages. More specifically, Avatar can indefinitely gain Might, Curse, MoveSpeed, and Cooldown reduction without a cap. Furthermore, this character starts every Stage with increased max HP, Might, Luck, Magnet, Reroll, and a bonus Revival. If players want to clear some of the more challenging stages on extreme difficulty modes, then Avatar is one of the best choices for the job. View the full article

Image: Activision The families of the victims ******* in the Uvalde, Texas school ********* are suing Meta and Call of Duty developer Activision over allegations that they promoted the use of firearms to underage boys. The lawsuit claims both companies “knowingly exposed the Shooter to the *******, conditioned him to see it as the solution to his problems, and trained him to use it.” It’s the kind of claim we’ve seen unsuccessfully thrown at video game companies numerous times in the past. The complaint was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday on behalf of around 45 family members. As noted in the lawsuit, the families accuse Activision and Meta of “grooming” young men and putting them on a path toward violent acts. On May 24th, 2022,... Continue reading… View the full article

A gamer has created a charming Stardew Valley farmhouse planter for their friend's birthday, cleverly combining their love for the game with real-life gardening. The creation has gained attention from other players not only for its **********, but the way the player combined so many elements to make a Stardew Valley fan happy. View the full article

As they set out on their spacefaring adventures, Starfield players may find ships, board them, and get behind the wheel, only to be met with the message "You are not authorized to pilot this ship." This message generally appears when players try to pilot ships other than their own. They may have a variety of reasons for doing so: maybe they just want to test out a specific module, or one of Starfield's ship decorations. Or maybe they've realized the profitable potential of stealing and selling ships in Starfield. View the full article

Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 may come to last-gen consoles if new leaked details are to be believed. An image shared by a Reddit user earlier today (via CharlieIntel) reveals what seems to be GameStop pre-order information for this year’s Call of Duty. As the picture shows, options for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, and, most notably, PS4 are included in the list of copies available for purchase. If the image is accurate, it means ****** Ops 6 will be available on a console that originally launched in 2013. NEW: GameStop has listings for Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 preorders, and it mentions a PS4 version Looks like BO6 will be on last-gen still Source: Reddit | u/Oufp4 [Hidden Content] — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) May 24, 2024 Insider Gaming says its sources were able to verify the image, suggesting that Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 will be coming to last-gen consoles. Notably, the image does not mention Xbox One, but the site adds that the Xbox Series X|S version will offer cross-generation support for Xbox One owners. Meanwhile, Activision owner Microsoft signed a deal in 2022 that will see it bringing Call of Duty titles to Nintendo consoles for at least 10 years. The Nintendo Switch may be left out this year, but Insider gaming adds that entries will begin to release for Nintendo’s long-rumored Switch 2 when it eventually releases. We’ll learn a lot more about Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 when Microsoft presents its Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, 2024. After the main event concludes, a show dedicated to the latest entry in the first-person shooter franchise will air. As with all early, unconfirmed details, it’s best to wait for official word that PS4 and Xbox One versions exists before getting your hopes up, so be sure to take everything with a grain of salt until Activision shares smore. Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 has no release date but is expected to launch sometime this fall. For more, you can check out every teaser we’ve seen so far. You can also check out our reviews for 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which also released for last-gen consoles. We gave its campaign a 4/10 and its multiplayer a 6/10. Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx. Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Call of Duty publisher Activision and Facebook and Instagram owner Meta are being sued in a new suit filed today by several families of victims of the 2022 Uvalde elementary school *********, The New York Times reports today. The lawsuit, filed in California, comes alongside an additional suit filed in Texas targeting the manufacturer of the gunman's AR-15-style rifle, Daniel Defense. Both suits arrive on the two-year anniversary of the *********, in which 19 children and two teachers were ******* at Robb Elementary School. The documents claim that Activision, Meta, and Daniel Defense each took part in "grooming" the gunman to be a mass shooter. Activision and Meta are being sued, essentially, for the roles the documents allege they played in promoting the **** used in the ********* to 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. The Uvalde families are being represented by lawyer Josh Koskoff, best known for reaching a $73 million settlement with the maker of another AR-15-style rifle that was used in the 2012 Sandy ***** elementary school *********. “Daniel Defense is a predator but can’t get to the prey without the help of these other third parties,” Koskoff says. Ramos allegedly bought the **** a week before the *********, just 23 minutes after his 18th birthday, the suit alleges. Koskoff argues that this came months after he started playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare which, according to the lawyer's account, began a spiral of the teenager becoming obsessed with guns. The **** that Ramos did end up purchasing, a DDM4 V7, was featured on Modern Warfare's opening title page, the lawsuit says. “Within a week of downloading Modern Warfare on Nov. 5, 2021, the shooter’s phone indicates a growing obsession with weapons and accessories associated with the game," Koskoff says, according to the NYT. The suit goes onto allege that, by December 2021, Ramos was looking into Daniel Defense, reasearching what models he might use, and making several Instagram posts about weapons. In the process, Koskoff claims, the teenager was "targeted and cultivated online by Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense." "This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the *******, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it," Koskoff says. “Daniel Defense is a predator but can’t get to the prey without the help of these other third parties. In an interview with CBS News, Koskoff added that Instagram created a "connection" between the gunman and the **** manufacturer. "And nobody exploited Instagram for this purpose more than Daniel Defense," he said. "If Instagram can prevent people from posting pictures of their private parts, they can prevent people from posting pictures of an AR-15. And of course, Instagram doesn't care. They don't care. All they care about is driving traffic and generating attention, drawing attention and getting their ad revenue." Meta and Daniel Defense did not immediately respond to IGN's request for comment. When reached by IGN, Activision issued the following statement: The Uvalde ********* was horrendous and heartbreaking in every way, and we express our deepest sympathies to the families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of *********. Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has also issued the following statement, more broadly addressing ********* in video games: We are saddened and outraged by senseless acts of *********. At the same time, we discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video gameplay, which detract from efforts to focus on the root issues in question and safeguard against future tragedies. Many other countries have similar rates of video gameplay to the ******* States, yet do not see similar rates of **** *********. The new lawsuits come just days after the same 19 Uvalde families reached a $2 million settlement with the Texas city, in which they were also represented by Koskoff. They also announced a number of new lawsuits against the Texas Department of Public Safety officers and Uvalde's school district, including one $500 million suit against nearly 100 state police officers. Thumbnail credit: Wu Xiaoling/Xinhua via Getty Images Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons. View the full article

Genshin Impact players can currently claim a free pack on the Epic Games Store, provided that they have access to the Epic Games Store launcher on PC. The new Genshin Impact bundle includes a variety of crafting components and in-game upgrade materials entirely free for only a limited time. However, Epic Games has not confirmed how long it will remain available. View the full article

Since launch, Gray Zone Warfare has had a rollercoaster of a ride. It's sold incredibly well and hit huge numbers on Steam but there have been some issues that have continued to hold it back. This week a new patch dropped which introduced a staggering amount of fixes and there's more coming as the developer has released a new video letting the community know what it's working on. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The realistic new FPS blowing up on Steam just got even better New tactical FPS blows past Arma and Ready or Not's Steam records Gray Zone Warfare now lets you change factions View the full article

Since launch, Gray Zone Warfare has had a rollercoaster of a ride. It's sold incredibly well and hit huge numbers on Steam but there have been some issues that have continued to hold it back. This week a new patch dropped which introduced a staggering amount of fixes and there's more coming as the developer has released a new video letting the community know what it's working on. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: The realistic new FPS blowing up on Steam just got even better New tactical FPS blows past Arma and Ready or Not's Steam records Gray Zone Warfare now lets you change factions View the full article

After months in Early Access, the full 3D remake of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the **** Overlord has been released. Developed by Digital Eclipse and launched on Steam, this venture brings the iconic RPG classic from 1981 into contemporary gaming landscapes, preserving the game's foundational elements while embracing modern enhancements. View the full article

The legendary ***** series may be more than 30 years old, but 2020’s ***** Eternal proved it still has plenty of gas left in the tank. The next ***** game is allegedly just over the horizon, and it will reportedly take an interesting direction not yet seen in the series. For as long as it’s existed, ***** has leaned into a futuristic sci-fi aesthetic, perfect for justifying the ***** Slayer’s massive arsenal of over-the-top weapons and all the exotic locales (the planet Mars is a series mainstay) he brutally dispatches hordes of demons in. If new rumors are to be believed, however, the next installment in the series will turn the clock back—all the way to the Middle Ages, to be precise. View the full article

As Call of Duty enters a new era under Microsoft ownership, with a reported appearance on Game Pass in the near future, fans who play on past-generation consoles won’t have to worry about being forced to upgrade. According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, the next Call of Duty title—****** Ops 6—will be released on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Xbox One owners will also reportedly be able to play ****** Ops 6 via “a cross-generation version” that’s released for the X|S. View the full article

Stacker for iPod is a Tetris clone that never made it to retail models. | Image: Apple Demo YouTuber Apple Demo has found a prototype third-generation iPod that contains a game called Stacker, which never made it to retail models. In addition to Apple’s own version of Tetris, the engineering sample iPod also came loaded with other unreleased titles, including games called Block0 and Klondike, as noted by Engadget. On the back of the prototype iPod, a “DVT” (Design Validation Testing) label is etched where the storage capacity normally goes, which, Apple Demo explains indicates it was from the middle stage of development. Two songs still in its storage and a helpfully-named playlist suggest this device was used for battery testing. After some tinkering and transplanting the internal hard disk into a second-generation iPod Apple... Continue reading… View the full article

Disney Dreamlight Valley is filled with various quests and activities across the Disney universe. Cooking is one task that players will routinely complete, but quests in Disney Dreamlight Valley are not always specific about what you need to cook. The Day at Disney Star Path requires players to cook a nearly perfect dessert but doesnt specify what this might mean. View the full article

World of Warcraft just announced that players who benefited from the Gulp Frog farm in WoW: Remix: Mists of Pandaria will have their Cloaks of Infinite Potential nerfed, while those who did not can score an easy 40,000 Bronze through a series of quests. These adjustments and improvements mark what is likely to be the conclusion of the frog farming fiasco in the World of Warcraft event. View the full article

With so much hype and anticipation coming with Destiny 2 The Final Shape, Bungie seems to have their work cut out for them. However, as the time to release has shortened, there have been a few sharp-eyed Guardians who have spotted some new guns meeting us in the Traveller. So let’s make the leap and take a look at all Legendary weapons coming to Destiny 2 The Final Shape and beyond.Destiny 2 — All Legendary Weapons coming to The Final ShapeAs Guardians are getting locked and loaded for the finale against The Witness, Bungie has shown off a few sneak peeks at the weapons you’ll use against the Dread. While we don’t have any official names for the weapons, players have noticed they look a bit familiar.Image: BungieFrom the image above, we know about 8 destination weapons coming to Destiny 2 The Final Shape. Destination weapons are Legendary weapons you’ll find by completing The Final Shape campaign, as well as other activities within the new dest...View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]