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Earlier today, it was reported the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched an investigation into Activision Blizzard. The agency subpoenaed the publisher and Kotick, for records related to employment, separation agreements, and communications between senior executives. The government body is requesting records that go back to 2019 where it hopes to review communications between Activision Blizzard executives regarding the various complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination. Activision Blizzard said in today’s statement it is complying with the SEC subpoena issued to the company and several current and former employees and executives regarding disclosures on employment matters and related issues....

ABK Workers Alliance is a new coalition established by employees from Activision, Blizzard, and King’s various studios. The group’s first act was releasing a letter responding to CEO Bobby Kotick’s statement about the State of California’s lawsuit against it. In particular, the letter called out WilmerHale, the law firm Kotick hired to review the company’s policies and procedures on workplace inclusiveness and respect. What Kotick’s statement didn’t mention was that WilmerHale has a reputation for busting unions, and their services are often used by the biggest businesses to quell calls for collective bargaining among workers....

Following a two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the state has filed a lawsuit against the publisher and developer, alleging the company incubated a “frat boy” culture (via Bloomberg Law). The lawsuit alleges that female employees working for the company – who make up roughly 20% of the workforce – are victims of discrimination in terms of unequal pay, sexual harassment, bullying, and retaliation. CONTENT WARNING The investigation that brought the lawsuit to Activision Blizzard, at one point, suggests an employee took her own life as the result of sexual harassment, whilst on a trip with her male supervisor....

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company has filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) subpoena against Reddit, in order to identify the leaker of Call of Duty’s standalone Modern Warfare battle royale title, Warzone. The filing is legally trying to force reddit to identify the leaker, Assyrian2410, who first posted the image under the subject line “I found this image online, not sure what it is.” While the post, dated February 13, was removed and the user account deleted, the image quickly spread across the internet....

There’s no more details other than that on the project, so it’s obviously pretty early days currently. This isn’t the only live action adaptation of the classic series, receiving a 2001 film starring Angelina Jolie, and a later 2018 film starring Alicia Vikander. The latter was somewhat meant to be a live action reboot following on from the success of the 2013 video game reboot. Notably, this will be the first Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics that won’t be published by Square Enix....

It’s also likely to be the last special event in ACNH’s first year before we’re back to Bunny Day and Cherry Blossom Season in early April. There have been indications that further substantive content updates are planned due to the game’s success, but if you’ve been playing from the start, Festivale is still pretty symbolic of Year One rapidly drawing to a close. Festivale would usually fall in the Spring in the northern hemisphere, which in Animal Crossing world officially starts somewhere between the 18th and the 25th of February....

All that in mind, there are still a good few games across the App Store that are well worth your time, and the launch of Apple Arcade back in 2019 took a big step in curating the best of the best. For a small subscription fee (£4.99 per month), Apple Arcade gives me access to a separate section of the App Store, one that’s home to advertisement-free games – many of impeccable quality – and some titles I was pleasantly surprised to see....

In the latest development in Epic’s fight against Apple’s 30% cut, and its demands for Fortnite to return to the App Store, Apple has now fired another shot. CNN reports that on Tuesday, Apple filed a counter-suit against Epic, accusing the developer of commission theft, and subterfuge. In the court filing [PDF], Apple described the hotfix that enabled Fortnite to bypass the App Store’s payment as a Trojan Horse. Apple argues that Epic had been working behind the scenes on a campaign against Apple and its store policies, and triggered the alternate payment method to essentially fire the first shot....

The conclusion of Ark: Survival Evolved offers the largest map released, new missions, and a story that bridges the gap to the Ark 2 sequel. In Genesis Part 2, you will explore a new world filled with new biomes and creatures, while participating in story-oriented missions that will test your survival skills. It also features the final showdown between HLN-A and Sir Edmund Rockwell which takes place on a colonial ship traveling through space....

As shared by Eurogamer, the alleged footage was shared to an Assassin’s Creed Facebook page, before later being shared to the Assassin’s Creed and Gaming Leaks and Rumours Reddit pages. The footage runs for around 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and appears to have been recorded on an Apple mobile device, though the person that shared it to the Assassin’s Creed subreddit claims it isn’t theirs. If real, the short bit of footage shows off what looks to be some kind of invasion, and is obviously currently unfinished, as one moment shows the player trying to head down a zipline, but just can’t grab on the first few goes....

The highlight is the expressive 30cm replica statue of Eivor and her Drakkar. The high-end Ubicollectibles figure comes complete with axe and shield, and definitely captures the berserker spirit that was on display in the game’s bloody debut trailer. It also features the game’s female Eivor, though, like Odyssey before it, you’ll be able to choose between a male or female protagonist. There’s so much to digest about the game already – including longships, raiding and, er, rap battles – so be sure to have a browse through all our Assassin’s Creed Valhalla coverage....

Get ready for the next battle, because Tekken 7 appears to be getting yet another new character in its upcoming DLC. In the brief teaser trailer that you can see below, the currently unnamed fighter is briefly teased after a couple of quick edits show us around the country of Poland. The new female character is seen leaving her car, and appears to be addressed as ‘prime minister’ by an off-screen voice....

Battle Rally sees contestants in Shenmue 3 engage in battles as they race their way through a course. You will also have the chance to play a character other than the protagonist. In addition to playing Ryo Hazuki, you can choose to play the DLC as Wuying Ren, and Ryo’s sparring partner Wei Zhen who is making her first appearance in the game. Battle Rally will run you $7.99/£6.49 or the regional equivalent when it releases on January 21 for PC and PS4....

Earlier there was an issue with the pre-load on Origin, but it has been addressed by DICE. Apparently, players were unable to see the open beta in their library after clicking ‘Try it Now’. Again, this has been fixed, but there are a couple of things to take note of before downloading it on PlayStation or Xbox systems. Some users are reporting that on PlayStation the open beta is not showing in their region on the PlayStation Store....

According to Battlefield leaker Tom Henderson and others online, EA has been sending out a Battlefield survey about the next game in the series. The survey, which we could not find online in full, gauges player interest in a number of features. More specifically, the survey discussed the potential for a battle pass, a free-to-play component, maps that get updated post launch, and Modern Warfare-style weapon blueprints. This survey, as is often the case, doesn’t confirm which of those features are actually in the game, and which are being explored....

With the right magic build, you can now tackle tricky bosses with magic alone without feeling too weak. Well, without feeling completely squishy, because let’s be real, it’s hard to not feel weak at the best of times in Elden Ring unless you’re considerably over levelled. For a Sorcerer build, you’re going to need to plunge runes into Intelligence stats from the outset and throughout your game. Sooner or later, you’re going to have enough brains to quite literally turn yourself into the moon....

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a real game that’s still in development at Ubisoft. As part of a report on its Q1 FY22 financials, the French publisher specifically namedropped the game among those it has “ambitious” plans for. Reviving the Beyond Good and Evil brand with BG&E 2 is one of Ubisoft’s goals with its AAA division, alongside expanding Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with a second year of content, the release of Far Cry 6, broadening the Rainbow Six audience with Extraction, and capitalising on the Nintendo Switch’s massive player base with Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope....

Earlier today (April 25), Blizzard Entertainment finally announced the release date for the next, free-to-play installment in the Diablo franchise. Alongside this, it’s coming to PC, with full cross-play support and cross-progression. Though the press release notes that Diablo Immortal will be launching as an open beta on Windows when it launches in June. “The Open Beta on PC will contain all game features, including cross-play and cross-progression, and upon conclusion all progress will be maintained,” reads the press release....

Nothing else is known, other than Blizzard is working on “getting all-new mobile Warcraft content into players’ hands for the first time” and it’s slated for release in 2022. Speaking on a call to investors last year, CEO Bobby Kotick said Blizzard had “multiple mobile free-to-play Warcraft experiences” in the works, and that the titles are “in advanced development.” The firm feels these titles will “create opportunities for both existing players and new fans to experience the Warcraft universe in entirely new ways....

The first Layers of Fear was released in 2016 and was a unique take on the first-person psychological horror experience. Told from the point of view of a painter obsessively trying to finish his Magnum Opus, after its release, the award-winning title was expanded with a story DLC titled Inheritance. In it, the painter’s daughter comes back to her childhood home to face her past. In 2019, the team released an indirect sequel, Layers of Fear 2, telling the story of a Hollywood actor who heeds the call of a director to star in a film shot aboard an ocean liner....