Staff at Activision Blizzard are planning a walkout next month, in light of the "recent attacks on the civil liberties of [its] employees".

"We are calling for protection of several communities of marginalised workers. Employees are actively facing state legislation that is putting women, LGBTQ+ employees, and their families at risk, with other vulnerable groups on the horizon," wrote works group ABetterABK via Twitter.

"Our walk-out demands focus on the protections of ABK employees from external threats like the recent overturn of Roe v Wade, and internal threats such as retaliation and harassment while in the workplace."

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After starting my Tour De Jeux with the official Tour De France game, stage 2 takes me to Knights And Bikes. Foam Sword's 2019 game evokes childhood joys of zooming around with your pal and tricking out your bicycle with reflectors and Spokey Dokeys. That might seem far from the Tour De France but grown-up cyclists are just as keen on customising their bikes for coolness, and even some Tour bikes are rocking garish decoration this year.

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Mike Ybarra, the head of Blizzard, has spoken out about the controversial microtransactions found in Diablo Immortal.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ybarra implied that complaints surrounding Diablo Immortal's in-game purchases were limited to a small minority, and indeed, that Blizzard had specifically designed its free-to-play experience so the majority of players would still enjoy the bulk of the game.

Ybarra pointed to the game's high rating and number of positive reviews on the App Store, and suggested these contrasted with some of the negative headlines and complaints which have been reported.

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With Destiny 2‘s brand new Season of the Haunted now live, it’s time to prep your Fireteam for planetfall. With each new Season comes new events, gear and challenges to overcome. The Strike playlist is as good a place as any to start, which leads us to an important question: just what is the Nightfall weapon in Destiny 2 this week?

Films from Studio Canal purchased through the PlayStation store will be completely removed in Austria and Germany.

A notice has been posted on the PlayStation website in those regions, shared by flatpanelshd, that reads:

"As of August 31, 2022, due to our evolving licensing agreements with content providers, you will no longer be able to view your previously purchased Studio Canal content and it will be removed from your video library."

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PlayStation 5 users, we now have another update. This one, with the ever-catchy title of Version: 22.01-05.50.00, went live today.

This update is for the system software and includes the following (via Sony):

• If you're using a TV that supports ALLM (auto low latency mode), you can adjust ALLM settings in Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > ALLM.

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Final Fantasy 14's Balmung server is being protected by a barricade of catgirls.

That's thanks to the new Data Centre Travel system that allows players to visit other worlds - it was so popular it was taken down soon after it launched but is now back up.

Balmung is known for its roleplayers, notoriously of a more erotic kind, and has seen an influx of players visiting.

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For those that recall the 2003 E3 demo for Halo 2 - yes, the Earthcity one that everyone loved at the time but that never made its way into the final game - I have good news for you. 343 Industries has teamed up with some modders, and as a result, almost two decades later we will soon be able to actually play that demo again.

"We have a special treat for you this month," started 343 community writer Alex Wakeford in a very in-depth blog post yesterday.

"Something that becomes part of the great journey of many Halo fans is learning about all the stuff that didn't make it into the games over the years," he teased before revealing, "I can confirm we are working on a rebuild of the original E3 Earthcity scenario that makes it playable in modern retail Halo 2."

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Microsoft has said it will attend Gamescom 2022, which returns in-person to Cologne in August for the first time in three years.

Details on what exactly Microsoft will show remain vague, other than a promise we'll see updates on previously-announced games set to be released over the coming 12 months.

This is a similar-sounding promise to what we saw recently at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, which concluded with new gameplay footage of Starfield.

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The UK government’s competition regulator is to investigate Microsoft’s $68.7 billion (£57 billion) buyout of Activision Blizzard, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced yesterday. A provisional deadline to decide whether the merger will be referred for a more in-depth investigation has been set for September 1st, and the CMA has invited “any interested party” to comment on the merger up until July 20th.

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Wondering how to save in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Well, this guide will talk you through everything you need to know.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest entry in the series, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. With a whole host of new activities, villagers, and features to dive into on this island getaway, you can bet your bottom bell that we’re going to be spending plenty of time toiling away on our town.

Of course, as much as we’d like to, we can’t live within our Animal Crossing town forever. Here’s how to save in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

Saving Your Game in Animal Crossing New Horizons

To save your game, press the ‘-‘ button on your Nintendo Switch’s right Joy-Con. Doing so will result in the game asking you whether you want to ‘Save and Continue’ or ‘Save and End.’

If you want to take a break from the game entirely, you’ll want to choose the ‘Save and End’ option as it’ll boot you out of your town once the saving process is complete.

But if you’re simply wanting to make sure all that time you’ve just spent patiently arranging flowers doesn’t go to waste if your Switch battery ran out, you can choose the ‘Save and Continue’ option to carry on playing.

Is There Auto-Save?

It turns out that yes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons does have an auto-save system.

This kicks in fairly regularly, and will cause a small blue ring to appear in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

However, be warned that you shouldn’t turn off your Switch while the blue ring is visible on the screen. If you do, you could corrupt your save file, or at the very least, the auto-save won’t have completed.

Iconic Elden Ring player Let Me Solo Her has received a congratulatory sword from the game's publisher.

The player became notorious in the Elden Ring community for assisting players with the game's infamously tricky Malenia boss, defeating her a thousand times.

In response, Bandai Namco sent the player a boxed sword, complete with map scroll and wooden plaque, with the message: "Congratulations on your great accomplishment".

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After months of downtime, the Wii Shop Channel and the DSi Shop are back available to access.

Both digital stores were quietly made inaccessible back in March. When asked about their status at the time, Nintendo subsequently told Eurogamer the stores were "undergoing maintenance", and no date was given for their return.

Indeed, some fans had begun wondering if the stores would ever return at all.

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God of War: Ragnarok now has a definite release date. The sequel to 2018's God of War is set for a November 9, 2022 launch date, according to Sony. This confirms earlier rumors published in Bloomberg. God of War: Ragnarok would have launched originally in 2021. Santa Monica Studio chose to delay the game due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, developer Santa Monica Studio promoted the impending release with a new cinematic trailer, titled Father and Son.

Check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIQGI36BxDE

The brief "Father and Son" cinematic trailer shows off God of War star Kratos fighting alongside his son Atreus. Atreus is now a young man, indicating some time has passed since the pair's previous outing. During a fight, Kratos falls into a snowy valley, and fends off enemies with his shield. After Atreus catches up, the pair gets ready to face a giant, mountain-sized wolf. The wolf is likely Fenrir, in keeping with the series' recent Norse inspiration.

Alongside the news of the release date, Santa Monica Studio unveiled deluxe editions and preorder bonuses for God of War: Ragnarok. 

In just two weeks since relaunching as a free-to-play game, Fall Guys has seen an incredible 50 million players flocking to its colourful and chaotic shores. You could say, we've fallen hard for it (thank you, I'm here all week).

Sharing the news on Twitter, the Falls Guys devs wrote, "We're in absolute disbelief... 50 million players in 2 weeks!!!"

The team reiterated its disbelief at such impressive numbers by following on with, "U N B E L I E V A B L E THANKS EVERYONE!"

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Manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, best known as the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh series (and the popular card game it’s based on), has been found dead.

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In this guide, we’ll run you through how to play with your Buddy Pokemon in Pokemon GO. This allows you to improve their relationship with them, earn Hearts with them, and also get a number of bonuses by having them reach the ‘Excited’ status, where you’ll earn Candy’s at a faster rate and you’ll see hearts appear next to them.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into everything you know about playing with your Buddy.

How to Play with Buddy Pokemon in Pokemon GO

Final Fantasy 14 has had an absolute stonker of a year. 2021 saw the release of its latest Expansion, Endwalker, and an extraordinary increase in players, making it the most profitable game in the Final Fantasy series' history. It's quietened down a little (and only a little), but with over eight-years worth of updates and millions of players to its name, FF14 is now, unsurprisingly, one of the biggest games on the planet.

It's a position the game rightfully deserves, with each of its expansions praised by critics for an epic storyline that's gone from confronting evil empires to quelling thousand-year wars or hopping dimensions and facing a universe-destroying embodiment of despair, all while deftly navigating the threads that tie it all together.

As an MMO full of references to other games in the series, FF14 is often called a 'Final Fantasy theme park' - but there's far more to it than that. Its storyline rivals any of the single-player FF games - yes, even FFVII - while the daddy of Final Fantasy and its original creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, plays it for fun. He's so into it he started his own in-game fashion brand, in fact, and frequently tweets his adventures. Its blend of epic, player-central storyline and huge array of casual extras continues to surprise me even now, and despite approaching it with some scepticism after the original failed release in 2010, FF14's managed to keep its hooks in me consistently for over eight years, in a way no other game has.

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Riot Games is intent on opening Valorant up to a wider audience with a handheld spin-off. If you’re wondering when Valorant mobile comes out, here’s everything there is to know so far.

Valorant mobile was first announced over a year ago as Riot Games celebrated a successful first year of the game with a string of announcements about its overall player base and interest in continuing support of the title. Riot producer Anna Donlon said at the time:

“To see our growing player community recognize and appreciate what we’re trying to do with Valorant is beyond what we could’ve expected and we’re thrilled to soon offer the same competitive Valorant experience to even more global players.”

Notably, Donlon also said at the time that a console version of the game was potentially still in the works, though the development team had felt that mobile was a better fit for Valorant.

According to local news reports, Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga, has died. He was sixty years old.

A passing boat found his body off the coast of Nago in Okinawa prefecture on the morning of July 6, 2022, and alerted the Japanese Coast Guard. He was wearing snorkeling equipment at the time. His identity was confirmed on July 7, 2022. Police and the Japanese Coast Guard are still investigating the exact circumstances of Takahashi's death.

Check out a news report broadcast by the NHK below.

https://twitter.com/okinawa_nhk/status/1544939487062822913

Also known as Kazuo, Kazuki Takahashi began his career as a manga artist in 1982. His debut manga, Tokiou no Taka (Fighting Hawk), published in 1990. His breakout work was the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, which went to print in 1996. The series told the tale of Yugi Muto, a kind young man who solves the ancient Millennium Puzzle. The act causes him to become the host of the spirit contained within the puzzle, a former Pharaoh from ancient Egypt. This ghost came to be known as "Dark Yugi" or "Yami Yugi", and showed himself whenever Yugi and his friends were threatened by those with darkness in their hearts. Together they also played dangerous "Shadow Games", risking their lives and souls to help Dark Yugi recover his memories and challenge various trials.

Wondering how to sign up for the Division Resurgence closed alpha test on mobile? Then, here’s everything you need to know.

The mobile gaming space has been gaining massive traction and a ton of well-known franchises are making their way onto mobile platforms. The Division Resurgence is a brand new game made from the ground up, and set in The Division’s world.

Ubisoft has revealed that the game will soon be released in a Closed Alpha and players can sign up to get a chance to play early. Here’s how you can do this.

How to Sign Up for the Division Resurgence Closed Alpha Test on Mobile

The Division Resurgence sees the series return to New York, where agents of the Strategic Homeland Division are tasked to safeguard some regions of the city from the opposition groups. Those looking to check out the game early can sign up for the closed alpha and the entire process is pretty straightforward.

To sign up for the Division Resurgence Closed Alpha Test on mobile, here are the steps to follow:

With Diablo Immortal bringing the signature action role-playing experience to mobile devices and PC via open beta, players have been kicking demon butt and becoming heroes of Sanctuary over the last month or so, with many reaching the level cap and progressing on their Paragon levels. To keep that momentum going, Blizzard has released the latest details on the first post-launch update for Diablo Immortal.

Players can look forward to a new season that comes packed with three new battle passes, a new raid boss to challenge, as well as a weekend event to spice things up. There are also plenty of balance tweaks and bug fixes when the update hits on July 7.

While some might be looking forward to the arrival of Horizon Call of The Mountain for the PlayStation VR2, the recently available new game plus option means that players can experience the engaging world of Horizon Forbidden West once again. That’s not all, the latest update for Horizon Forbidden West is adding more graphical features in the form of variable refresh rate support and a new Balanced visual mode.

The mode will run the game on the PS5 at 40 frames per second, in addition to the other options that are already available for Guerrilla Games’ latest, which includes High Refresh Rate for supported televisions that is also part of this new update.

Of course, it is not just the visual side of things that is getting more love. The 1.17 update also packs in many bug fixes and improvements for the game. Here are the full patch notes:

Trying to determine the best Monster Hunter games of all time can be a daunting task, but with the strides that the series has made over recent years, it’s becoming easier to really separate the wheat from the chaff. But let’s be real, there’s no chaff here. Here’s our take on the five best Monster Hunter games of all time.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

5 Best Monster Hunter Games of All Time

One of the older games in the series, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite first debuted on the PSP back in 2008 in Japan before being localized the year after for Western audiences. Before 4, Freedom Unite was the most expansive installment in the series, adding a wealth of new monsters and subspecies that fans hadn’t seen before. Similarly, the older beasts had gotten some new moves and attack reactions, adding a slight twist to the hunt.

Stop banging your head against the proverbial wall when it comes to figuring out the answer in Wordle. Utilizing your guesses smartly can save both time and frustration. In this guide, we’ll go through all of the 5-letter words with A as the first and third letter to give you a good idea of where to start and aid you on the quest to maintain your streak.

Note that the following list of words has been tested and will work in Wordle. However, if you spot any missing or incorrect words, please inform us via the comments below so we can take a look at the list and update it if necessary.

Having prior knowledge of the various words that can fit the pattern of a particular Wordle answer is always going to be immensely helpful. In this guide, we’ll go through all of the 5-letter words ending in PE to give you a good idea of where to start and aid you on the quest to maintain your streak.

Note that the following list of words has been tested and will work in Wordle. However, if you spot any missing or incorrect words, please inform us via the comments below so we can take a look at the list and update it if necessary.

Wordle is definitely a fun challenge for many, but even if you need some help, that’s okay as well. After all, no one likes blindly guessing and ending up with no chance of success. In this guide, we’ll go through all of the 5-letter words starting with AG to give you a good idea of where to start and aid you on the quest to maintain your streak.

Note that the following list of words has been tested and will work in Wordle. However, if you spot any missing or incorrect words, please inform us via the comments below so we can take a look at the list and update it if necessary.

All 5 Letter Words Starting With AG

• again
• agama
• agami
• agape
• agars
• agast
• agate
• agave
• agaze
• agene
• agent
• agers
• agger
• aggie
• aggri
• aggro
• aggry
• aghas
• agila
• agile
• aging
• agios
• agism
• agist
• agita
• aglee
• aglet
• agley
• agloo
• aglow
• aglus
• agmas
• agoge
• agone
• agons
• agony
• agood
• agree
• agria
• agrin
• agros
• agued
• agues
• aguna
• aguti

Armed with your newfound knowledge, it is time to take on the challenge proper. Select your pick from the list and use it as your answer in Wordle. Be sure to check the colors to get a better idea of where to make the right adjustments. Correct letters in the right position will turn green, yellow indicates a right letter in the wrong place, while grey rules out the letter entirely.

Wondering where the Lost and Found is located in Stardew Valley? Here’s what you need to know.

Stardew Valley, the sleepy simulation role-playing game by developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, has led to plenty of players enjoying an open-ended country lifestyle of their dreams since 2016. Even with over half a decade under its belt, new players still can go into the game with zero knowledge and eventually learn the ropes. Before long, they’ll need to use the Lost and Found box, which new players definitely won’t know how to find in the beginning hours.

Like the name says, the Lost and Found box is where players can retrieve left behind and missing items. Usually, players will use the Lost and Found box to pick up special orders, lost tools, hats from children, and other event items. It’s an essential tool in the game that keeps you covered through your day-to-day activities. The only catch is finding it. Here’s where to find the Lost and Found in Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley Lost and Found Box Location

You can find the Lost and Found box within Mayor Lewis’ house. After heading into town from the direction of your farm, head down the town square and pass The Stardrop Saloon. Once you reach the three benches nestled between bushes below the Saloon, Mayor Lewis’ wooden-fenced house will be off to the right. Inside his home rests the Lost and Found box with a question mark above it, sitting next to a pair of colored books in the top-left corner.

Today Spike Chunsoft revealed a new trailer of its upcoming JRPG Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness.

The trailer focuses on showcasing the characters including Aki, who can be customized however you like.

We then move on to the two different modes, “Hello Abyss” and “Deep in Abyss,” followed by an explanation on the gameplay loop and story progression.

We also learn that the Riko Azuna will perform “Light,” the game’s ending theme song. Fans of the series will know her for singing the opening theme of the “Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun.”

Below you can check out the trailer both in English and Japanese, so you can check out both voice tracks.

The press release also included a comment from Riko Azuna.

Wondering when the One Piece animation really starts to get good? As with any anime that has been around a long time, this is a question that many are bound to have about Oda’s iconic series. If this is a really big deal for you, then don’t stress, as we’ve got everything you need to know about when things really start to kick off.

When Does One Piece Animation Get Good? Answered

While the answer may vary depending on who you ask, as diehards will likely tell you the animation has always been good, the majority of people tend to agree that things increase gradually as the series goes on. This makes complete sense, as animation improved year by year since One Piece debuted in 1999.

If you want an actual numbered episode to go by, Water 7 Arc, which starts at episode 229, is where you’ll start to notice a lot more quality in the animation for One Piece. Alternatively, a lot of other people will also say that One Piece reaches its prime animation around episode 600, as the quality reaches the peak animation standards that we have today, especially when it comes to some of the sakuga devoted to Luffy’s fights.

It is also important to note that when it comes to visual quality, episode 44 is a common benchmark that many note where the visual quality isn’t an actual deterrent.

That is everything you need to know about when the One Piece animation really starts to get good. For more on the series, check out our in-depth article discussing when the plot starts to get good.