Games

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Gaming Company ‘EA’ Suffers Data Breach of Game Code

Andrew Orr ·

Electronic Arts is the latest company to have information stolen in a data breach. It includes the source code for FIFA 21, the Frostbite engine, and proprietary frameworks and SDKs.

We are investigating a recent incident of intrusion into our network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen. No player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy.

Following the incident, we’ve already made security improvements and do not expect an impact on our games or our business. We are actively working with law enforcement officials and other experts as part of this ongoing criminal investigation.

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Pre-Orders For Playdate Handheld Game System Open in July

Charlotte Henry ·

Playdate is a small handheld game system filled with original games. Earlier this week the team behind it announced that pre-orders for the device will open in July. It has a black and white screen, WI-Fi, and Bluetooth. It also has a loudspeaker and a crank which serves as an analog controller. Once set up, users get two brand new games every week for 12 weeks. Playdate costs U.S. $179 plus taxes and shipping.

Summon the Seven Princes of Hell With ‘The Book of Asmodeus’
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Summon the Seven Princes of Hell With ‘The Book of Asmodeus’

Andrew Orr ·

“5300 years ago Asmodeus wrote a book that people can summon his demons. If you defeat the demons, all earthly lust and pleasure are yours. In 2021 we found that book.” The Book of Asmodeus is an “interactive horror book and game” that involves using the augmented reality capabilities on your iPhone. The Kickstarter page lists it as an upcoming project, but the team’s Medium post shares the details. In the game it sounds like you “summon” AR demons and defeat them, all while writing your own story. It sounds like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. The book in question looks really cool. The team says it’s handmade with a 3D printed/polymer clay cover, with pages showing original artwork. There will be a PDF version for US$49 and a super early bird Kickstarter reward for the hardcover-US$79.

New Civilization VI Update Means Scouts Can Pet Their Dogs
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New Civilization VI Update Means Scouts Can Pet Their Dogs

Andrew Orr ·

Civilization VI received an update on Thursday but it brings an important new feature: Your scouts can now pet their dogs. Other updates include three new military units, four new maps, a new unit action, and various bug fixes and improvements. New units: Trebuchet – Medieval Era Catapult upgrade. Siege promotion class. Upgrades into Bombard. Cannot move and attack on the same turn unless they’ve earned the Expert Crew Promotion. Man-At-Arms: Medieval Era Swordsman upgrade. Melee promotion class. Upgrades into Musketman. Line Infantry: Industrial Era Musketman upgrade. Melee promotion class. Upgrades into Infantry. New maps: Mediterranean Large Map: A large map of the greater Mediterranean region with resources, terrain, and features reflecting their historic locations. Earth Huge Map: A larger sized representation of Earth with resources, terrain, and features reflecting their historic locations. TSL Earth Huge: Civilizations start at the location of their historical capital on the huge Earth map. TSL Mediterranean: Civilizations start the location of their historic capital on the large Mediterranean map.

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Civilization VI Gets New ‘Zombie Defense’ Mode With Portugal Pack

Andrew Orr ·

Zombies are trudging their way into Civilization VI in the new Portugal Pack DLC. It comes with a new leader and civilization.

In the final Civilization 6 Frontier DLC, Portugal Pack, players will get access to the Portuguese civilization and leader Joao III. This isn’t anything surprising, as the game series has released new leaders like this in the past. What has come as the biggest surprise is the new zombie mode being released in this DLC. Usually found in the FPS genre, zombies have occasionally made an appearance in strategy games before.

I’ll leave you with this fine song.

Preorder Otterbox Gaming Accessories That Ship in February
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Preorder Otterbox Gaming Accessories That Ship in February

Andrew Orr ·

Known for its smartphone cases, this year Otterbox presented a range of gaming accessories for mobile gamers. I was privy to the company’s video presentation at virtual CES and was impressed with these new products. Otterbox partnered with Microsoft and several of these accessories are made for the Xbox controller. However, they did inform us in the video that the mobile gaming clip is compatible with all console game controllers. You can preorder them today and they start shipping mid-February.

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Meditation App ‘Calm’ Introduces Calm Puzzles with Spin Master Games

Andrew Orr ·

Calm is a popular sleep and meditation app. It recently partnered with Spin Master Games to create Calm Puzzles. These are jigsaw puzzles featuring zen, tranquil landscape scenes (Calm Coral, Foggy Mountains, Hidden Waterfalls, Jasper Lake, Sunflower Fields and Waterfall Mountain). These Mindful Puzzles are available to purchase on Amazon and in stores at Target and Walmart. You can listen to peaceful audio in the Calm app while you work on the puzzle. Each 300-piece puzzle includes a FREE 30-day subscription to the Calm app, which allows you to listen to sounds of nature and peaceful audio content that corresponds to your mindful puzzle as you work on putting it together.

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Microsoft Ends Support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021

Andrew Orr ·

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it plans to end support for Minecraft Earth on June 30. Demoed at Apple’s WWDC event in 2019, the game was built for augmented reality as a way to make you feel as if you were actually in the game.

Today we are releasing the final build of the game, containing some changes to make your time in Minecraft Earth as fun as possible. We hope these adjustments will allow you to explore, craft, and build more – while staying safe indoors.