November 2021

Ahead of the Elden Ring first gameplay stream, Twitch supposedly already started sharing ads showing off the Collector's Edition.

The post Elden Ring Collector’s Edition Apparently Includes a Malenia Figure appeared first on Siliconera.

The upcoming mobile game will let users interact with an AI-controlled virtual boyfriend.

The post Pre-registration for Sokubaku Kareshi Otome Game Open appeared first on Siliconera.

The demo will arrive on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as well.

The post Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Demo Now Available on Nintendo Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

More Than 5 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V – you know, the game released nearly a decade ago – were sold just last quarter, bringing its total units sold up to a whopping 155 million units. 

This news comes by way of VentureBeat, which reports that the Rockstar-developed open-world game has generated more than $6 billion in revenue since its 2013 release. GTAV became the most profitable entertainment product of all time three years ago in 2018, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz, and it seems like the game has no plans to give up that title anytime soon. 

These new GTAV numbers come from Take-Two Interactive’s latest financial report, which details the second fiscal quarter’s earnings. That quarter ended on September 30. According to VentureBeat, the company beat not only Wall Street’s expectations but its own as well after netting $984.9 million. That’s up 3% from last year, too, which was an especially great year for video games due to increased purchases as a result of pandemic-related quarantines. 

The classic and punishing Shin Megami Tensei franchise is back with a new mainline entry, and it’s full of everything we’ve come to expect from the series: challenging battles, intense demon negotiations, and philosophical conundrums about the state of the world. I’ve been playing Shin Megami Tensei V, already clocking close to 40 hours, but I haven’t reached the end to deliver my final verdict. Until then, I’ll say: Shin Megami Tensei sticks close to its roots – for better or worse. This means common series complaints, such as poor navigation and obtuse instructions, remain, but Atlus has also enhanced certain aspects, with more expansive areas, more skill customization, and stellar demon designs. If you’re an SMT fan, you should feel at home with the long, hard-fought journey that awaits. If you’re a newcomer, some of the game’s more archaic and arduous ways might turn you off.

The new wireless Nintendo 64 controller sold out almost immediately and it’s now not expected to be available for sale again until 2022, but if you’re one of the lucky people that nabbed one, you can now play Super Mario 64 on Switch with it. 

This news comes by way of Nintendo, which announced that Version 1.1.1 is out for Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which is the collection released last year that features Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Before this new update, you could only play these three games using Joy-Con or the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Nintendo Switchソフト『スーパーマリオ ３Ｄコレクション』の更新データVer.1.1.1の配信を開始しました。更新することで『スーパーマリオ64』を「NINTENDO 64 コントローラー」（Nintendo Switch Online加入者限定商品）でプレイすることができます。 https://t.co/UmrwP6e8C6 pic.twitter.com/RHKN7g0tLo

It's that time of year again. A new entry in the Call of Duty series is nearly here, and with its release comes the familiar questions of whether or not fans should pick up the latest entry in the annualized series. We set out to answer that question on these fresh episodes of New Gameplay Today, focused on Call of Duty: Vanguard's zombie and campaign modes!

Yacht Club Games has announced that Shovel Knight Dig will be released in 2022. 

Dig was announced way back in August of 2019 as a new take on the massively popular Shovel Knight character. It still features the Shovel Knight millions have come to love over the years, but Dig drops the classic 2D platformer feel for a more unique style of gameplay that draws on titles like Mr. Driller and Dig Dug. 

While a release date for Dig was never announced, it seems Yacht Club had 2021 in mind considering they announced today that Dig needs more time and will be released next year. 

“With 2021 coming to a close, we wanted to provide an update regarding Shovel Knight Dig,” a blog post from Yacht Club reads. “Development is going great, but we need a little more time than our initial projected release window. We look forward to delving into Dig with you in 2022.” 

To ease the pain of today’s news, though, Yacht Club also revealed a new character in Dig: Scrap Knight. 

Nintendo has dropped some new sales numbers for its latest console, the Nintendo Switch, as well as the top 10 best-selling Switch games. 

It’s no surprise the Switch is doing well – its sales haven’t really let up since the hybrid console hit the market in March of 2017. Still, it’s already one of Nintendo’s best-selling consoles and currently in fourth place in the company’s entire platform lineup. The latest numbers released by Nintendo today take all sales through September 30, 2021, into account and the Switch sits at 92.87 million units sold. 

That number places the Switch far ahead of the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, the 3DS, and the Wii U. In fact, the only four consoles ahead of it are the Wii at 101.63 million units sold, the Game Boy at 118.69 million units, and the Nintendo DS at 154.02 million units. Considering these numbers are already a month behind of where we’re at now – not to mention, the Switch OLED was released after September 30 – there’s a good chance the Switch has surpassed the Wii. 

At this point—and you’re well within your rights to still have reservations—it’s becoming pretty difficult to refute that Elden Ring...is real? Today, during a digital showcase, publisher Bandai Namco shows off 15 minutes of the next action-adventure game from FromSoftware. (Update, 10:20 a.m. ET: It’s over, and it…

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Well, this is a nice surprise. Folks have been exploring the big new Animal Crossing update since last night, as the patch went up early. Already, the community has struck gold. As it turns out, you can now visit a type of island that contains a special, never-before-seen type of rock.

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Shin Megami Tensei V on Switch

If you’ve ever played an SMT game, the setup of Shin Megami Tensei V should feel instantly familiar. You take control of a teenage boy, and you quickly find out that he has the power to summon demons and control them in battle. Then, you explore a warped version of modern-day Tokyo. And by “warped” I mean it’s a totally screwed up and wrecked, apocalyptic version of Tokyo filled with angels and demons trying to kill you.

You then plow through the story and make decisions that will ultimately lock you into one of (at least) three endings: Lawful, Chaotic, and Neutral.

Despite featuring new characters and story beats, the premise is always largely the same, but don’t take that as a criticism of the game. Shin Megami Tensei V knows the kind of story it wants to tell and it sticks to it with confidence, and hey, if you couldn’t care less about the narrative, maybe the crushing difficulty of the combat encounters will convince you to stick around.

As far as introductions go, Shin Megami Tensei V feels the most Persona-like out of all the mainline games in the series. Whereas in past games, your companions were mostly all robots with zero-depth to them and only served to push one of the game’s three main alignments and ideologies on you, SMT V’s characters make more of an effort to come off like actual people.

Developer Ghost Ship Games’ popular multiplayer co-op shooter Deep Rock Galactic is launching a huge new content drop today called Rival Incursion, and it marks the first of its kind as a themed seasonal update.

The trailer synopsis outlines the developer’s intent and some of the more general features of Rival Incursions, which we’ve included below. The full patch notes, though, which are extensive, can be found here.

“We are proud to announce our BIGGEST update thus far – Season 01: Rival Incursion. Yes, that’s right – we are, for now, moving to do themed seasons instead of just updates. Season 01 includes four new primary weapons, a new challenging boss-fight mission, and our take on a 100% FREE battle pass called a Performance Pass that will reward you with a truckload of new unique cosmetics during Season 01.“

Today’s update has been hyped in a new trailer that offers players a first glimpse of what’s new:

Ghost Ship Games’ continued support of Deep Rock Galactic comes as no surprise given what a tremendous success the game has been since its launch. At last count, it had sold a whopping 2 million copies.

Activision and Sledgehammer Games‘ latest military shooter, Call of Duty: Vanguard, is on the precipice of its Nov. 5 launch day tomorrow, and to celebrate, the companies have dropped an epic cinematic trailer showcasing the story of their much-anticipated Zombies mode.

Feel free to take a gander at the freshly cut “Der Anfang” footage down below:

Opening with that distinctive jingle that tolls at the beginning of a wave, the new video pulls back the curtain on the nazi origin story of how the zombies came to be in Call of Duty: Vanguard.

On the brink of defeat, the nazis unleash a mysterious supernatural force that – you guessed it! – raise an army of undead soldiers that’ll need to be defeated. That ol’ chestnut!

Let's get the shameful business out of the way first. Every year on Football Manager, I choose to manage Manchester United. United - or, ahem, Man UFC - are the team I support here in the real world, and that's about as far as my thought process goes when starting up a new FM save. There are two philosophies, basically: the fashionable, hipster choice of managing somewhere a little trendy, a little half-step out of the limelight, an AS Saint-Étienne, maybe, or for a greater challenge someone like AFC Wimbledon or your local ultra-underdogs of choice; or, you manage the team you support. There is technically a third way which we don't speak about (PSG), but broadly speaking, those are your options.

The reason I like Manchester United is because they straddle a bit of both. I know the club inside out, I'm desperate for us to win and loathe to see City win the race for another five attacking midfielders ahead of us, and frankly I just like having all my dreams fulfilled. At the same time Manchester United is a god awful mess of a club, and it brings me immeasurable joy to step into the breach every year and be the hero who comes and fixes it. So, like I said, best of both: favourite-team fantasy plus the pleasure of mending that which is fundamentally broken.

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Total War: Warhammer 3 will launch on 17th February via Steam, Epic Games Store and more - or you'll be able to play it day one via Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Sega announced the news today, alongside details of the Ogre Kingdoms Race Pack, which comes free for those who pre-order the game ahead of time or pick up a copy during its launch week. Notably, you'll need to buy this separately if playing via Game Pass.

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From Software's hugely-anticipated Elden Ring was shown off again today in nearly 20 minutes of new gameplay footage, which revealed the open world Souls-like in new detail.

We saw glimpses of the game's Breath of the Wild-like open world, including a ubiquitous shot stood on a cliff. There was also combat against a giant dragon, and a friendlier encounter with a creature that looked like a giant cooking pot.

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For nearly as long as video games have existed, the racing game has stood as a monument to state-of-the-art technology - an opportunity to dazzle audiences with vividly realized automobiles gliding across virtual highways. As this technology evolved so too did the representation of driving - more advanced physics enabled more realistic simulations while more powerful graphics architecture enabled increasingly vivid recreations of the world around you. As new consoles launched, new racing games would inevitably appear to demonstrate why you needed that new machine. From Project Gotham Racing to Forza Motorsport to Forza Horizon, Microsoft has understood this - and with Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games has delivered an exceptional system showcase.

The defining structure of Forza Horizon is the marriage of driving and open world exploration. Players are plunged into an expansive map packed full of races and events - participation in or simply reaching these events allows players to drive a wide range of powerful cars along the way. To make this work effectively, the game needs to render large open areas that are both visually striking yet completely legible while also retaining near-field detail capable of showcasing both the cars and the environment. Oh, and it needs to do all of this at 200 miles per hour.

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Devolver Digital became a publicly-traded company today, floating across the pond here in the UK on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of $950m.

Fitting with the culture of the company, employees of Devolver Digital are still the majority owners, though NetEase and Sony now own eight and five per cent stakes, respectively.

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Among the many additions in the big new Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update are ordinances. These return from previous entries in the series, and like in those games, they allow you to exert some additional control over the way your island works. While they still have some restrictions like only being able to use one at a time, they can help you to earn some extra money, make your island look nicer, or improve the odds that stuff will be happening at the time of day that you usually play.

But how do you enact ordinances, and which ones are available? Read on for a full breakdown of how they work and how to get started.

How do you enact an ordinance?

Putting an ordinance into effect is a fairly simple process, although there are some rules around them that you should be aware of. To get started, talk to Isabelle at the Resident Services building and select the "review island features" dialogue option. From there, you can choose "discuss ordinances" and then select the one you want to enact. It's as simple as that.

However, enacting an ordinance will cost you a fee of 20,000 bells, and it'll take a day for it to go into effect. You can also only have one active at a time, and once you start the process, you can't change your mind. Presumably, once the ordinance goes into effect, you'll then be able to shift to another if you so wish; we're working to verify that and will report back once we know more.

Call of Duty: Warzone's new Caldera map has been revealed for the first time, though not in the way anyone might have expected. Activision Blizzard's chief creative officer Pelle Sjoenell wore a jacket during a recent livestream that had Caldera's map layout printed on it.

Zooming in on the image, various named locations can be seen. These include Beach Defenses, Submarine Base, Ore Processing Docks, Naval Shipyard, Ancient Structures, Fishing Village, City Capital, Taro Farms, Air Port, and Phosphor Mines. The map image, which includes topographical details to illustrate elevation, also displays a very tall volcano near the center of the map.

The new Warzone Pacific map, Caldera, appears to be the biggest shakeup to the game since it launched in March 2020. It is a completely new map that takes players back to World War II to match the experience of Call of Duty: Vanguard. It launches in early December, and it will feature weapons and content from Vanguard and Black Ops Cold War, all sharing unified progression.

Take-Two's president has commented on the company's philosophy around remasters, saying it all comes down to the money. As part of Take-Two's latest earnings report, Karl Slatoff outlined Take-Two's position on remasters ahead of the launch of GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition and amid rumors of a Red Dead Redemption remaster.

"It purely is an economic decision. And the economic decision's based on what we believe that the fan base to be, how much is it going to cost for the game to be remastered, are we going to make other changes to the game to enhance the experience..." he said (via SeekingAlpha).

Slatoff pointed out that remasters that are simple ports without much new added don't typically sell as well as a game that is "truly remaster or truly enhanced."

Slatoff also said Take-Two factors in elements like whether or not it can develop a remaster in-house or if it needs to look to a third-party. Slatoff said selecting a third-party to handle a remaster has its own set of challenges, too, due to a competition for resources with so many companies these days pursuing remaster projects. For GTA The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, Rockstar tapped Grove Street Games, the outfit formerly known as War Drum Studios.

But at the end of the day, whether or not Take-Two releases a remaster comes down to if it is a sound financial decision. "In the end, it is an economic decision and it is a resource allocation decision. And that's just math that we do," Slatoff said.

Right on schedule, Bandai Namco has released 15 minutes of new gameplay footage for From Software's highly anticipated RPG Elden Ring. The video shows off more of the game's dark and mysterious world, also providing a new look at the combat mechanics and other gameplay systems. Check out the footage in the video below and let us know what you think, including the look at a boss with far too many arms.

In the footage, which was taken from the PC version of the game, we are taken to the "Lands Between." Immediately, the player sees a Site of Grace, which is the games' version of a bonfire. A suggestion shows where the player can go next from the site, but it's up to them to determine if they want to do this or go somewhere else.

After a few seconds, a huge dragon comes crashing down, roaring as the player strafes it on a horse before taking to the sky and breathing fire down below. After sending it back down to the ground and wounding it, the player delivers a devastating blow at a weak point on its neck.

There are odd NPCs to find, of course, including one named Alexander who has become stuck inside a giant cauldron... or rather, he is the giant cauldron and was just stuck in the ground. That's From Software for you.

Unlike other From Software games, Elden Ring will have a map, but you must create it yourself from different fragments. You can use the map icons and beacons to help you locate things you've found previously, taking some influence from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and "Spirit Springs" will let you take your horse soaring into the air as you traverse new areas. Spirits can also be summoned to assist in battle. And, of course, there are PvP invaders to make things more difficult.

Because of the more open-ended structure, dungeons can sometimes be found simply by exploring the world, and they contain their own treasure and bosses.

Elden Ring is getting a collector's edition, it appears, as an image of that has leaked on Twitch on the same day that Bandai Namco will release new gameplay footage. [Update: Bandai Namco has now confirmed the collector's edition, which is exclusive to the publisher's store]

The original story follows below.

The leaked artwork reveals that Elden Ring's collector's edition comes with the game, a digital soundtrack, a steelbook case, and a 40-page hardcover artbook. The centerpiece of the collector's edition, however, appears to be a nine-inch Malenia Blade of Miquella statue.

A listing on Best Buy reveals the collector's edition will cost $190.

As part of Nintendo's latest earnings release, the company updated its list of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games of all time. There are no surprises anywhere, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe topping the charts on its way to becoming the highest-selling Mario Kart game of all time.

As for games released during the past six months, Skyward Sword HD moved 3.60 million units, while New Pokemon Snap sold 2.19 million copies. Mario Golf: Super Rush shifted 1.94 million copies. None of these games cracked the top 10, however.

After Mario Kart 8 and New Horizons, the rest of the top five best-selling Switch games of all time includes Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (25.71 million), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (24.13 million), and Pokemon Sword/Shield (22.64 million). All of these figures count games sold through September 30.

The Switch has now sold nearly 93 million units, with game sales climbing to 681 million. Looking ahead, Nintendo said there is "continued uncertainty" in the market due to COVID-19 and the semiconductor shortage, and it now expects to produce fewer Switch units than it expected.

Top 10 Best-Selling Switch Games

(As of September 30, 2021)

Devolver Digital, the "boutique" games publisher behind Hotline Miami and Fall Guys and the host of E3's most outrageous showcase, has gone public, and Sony is reportedly a minority investor.

GI.biz reports that Devolver Digital is now trading publicly on the London Stock Exchange's sub-market, AIM. With the offering, Devolver is valued at around $1 billion, the report said.

The site reported that Sony Interactive Entertainment is making a 5% investment in Devolver. Additionally, Devolver is getting $50 million as part of the offering that will be used to help the company expand. Existing management and investors will get a "cash placing" of $211 million.

"An IPO is the right choice for us to ensure our continued growth and support even more wonderful games," CEO Douglas Morin told GI.biz. "Most importantly, it will allow us to retain our culture. Being a public company gives liquidity to our amazing team, all of whom are shareholders. It also gives us access to capital markets to continue investing in our growth strategy and talent."

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch has overtaken Mario Kart Wii to become the best-selling Mario Kart game of all time. After selling 3.34 million additional copies in the past six months, the racing game has now reached 38.74 million copies sold. This compares to 37.38 million sales for Mario Kart Wii.

For further comparison, Mario Kart 8 for Wii U sold 8.46 million copies, while Mario Kart DS sold 23.6 million copies. Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS sold 18.95 million copies.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is not only the highest-selling Mario Kart game of all time, but it is the Switch's best-selling game overall, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons (34.85 million copies) trailing in second place.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an enhanced version of Mario Kart 8 for Wii U, featuring better-looking graphics, higher frame rates, and changes to the Battle Mode. Combined together, Mario Kart 8 and Deluxe have sold more than 45 million copies to rank as one of the highest-selling video games of all time.

Wii Sports for the Wii has sold more than 82.9 million units, but the game was bundled with Wii systems, thus inflating the number.

As a testament to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's continued sales and strength, Nintendo has yet to cut the price of the game--it still sells for $60 from Nintendo (though sale periods over the years have made it available for less).

In other news, the Switch has now sold nearly 93 million units, with 681 million games sold.

Nintendo has released its sales report for the latest period, revealing Nintendo Switch sold another 8.28 million units to boost the system's lifetime results to 92.87 million. However, the company also acknowledged "continued uncertainty" in the market due to COVID-19 and the ongoing semiconductor shortage, and as a result, it confirmed that it doesn't expect to produce as many Switch units in the future as it previously expected (which was rumored).

"In regard to business risk, the extended impact of both COVID-19 and the global semiconductor shortage creates a state of continued uncertainty, with the possibility of future impact on production and shipping," Nintendo said. "While these and other unforeseen risks exist, we continue to take all necessary measures in conducting business."

Nintendo previously expected to ship 25.5 million Switch units by the end of its fiscal year, but the company reduced that number to 24 million.

For the six-month period ended September 30, Skyward Sword HD sold 3.6 million units, while New Pokemon Snap moved 2.19 million copies. Mario Golf: Super Rush sold 1.94 million copies. Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 2.22 million copies during the period to push its lifetime results to 34.85 million, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold another 3.34 million copies to extend its lifetime sales to 38.74 million copies--it is the highest-selling Switch game of all time.

Nintendo also announced that games from other publishers performed well, with the total number of million-seller games during the six-month period reaching 18. In total, Nintendo sold 93.89 million games during the six-month period (down 6.3%) and has sold 681 million games for the system life to date, which creates a tie ratio of 7.3.

For helping in investigative surveys and charging and defending tools against monsters, people can get Primogems and other rewards.

The post Here’s How the Genshin Impact Shadow of the Ancients Event Works appeared first on Siliconera.

Customers will be able to order Liella-themed meals and drinks to receive character-based goods.

The post Love Live Superstar Will Be Featured in Sega Cafes appeared first on Siliconera.

In addition to a gameplay reveal, Bandai Namco shared the Elden Ring pre-order bonus and went over what's in the Premium Collector's Edition.

The post Elden Ring Pre-Order Bonus and Premium Collector’s Edition Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

Viewers were given a firsthand look at gameplay just ahead of the scheduled network test.

The post Elden Ring Gameplay Preview Reveals Crafting and Multiplayer appeared first on Siliconera.

Adorable 2009 platformer A Boy And His Blob hops over to Switch today. 

First released for the Wii, the game is a remake of the NES cult classic A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia. Players control the titular boy, with the help of his shape-shifting blob companion, to solve 2D platforming puzzles. Feeding the Blob jellybeans turns it into 15 different objects ranging from a parachute, anvil, or cannon. The game’s best feature: you can hug the Blob anytime. 

A Boy and His Blob has since become a cult favorite in its own right. We scored the original Wii release an 8 out of 10. In her review, former GI editor Meagan Marie wrote that “...there is something undeniably magnetic about the game. The lush environments, charming characters, and the infinite power of the hug button make it impossible to stay upset for too long.” Over the last decade, it’s been ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile devices. 

You can purchase A Boy and His Blob for $14.99 on the Switch eShop. The port is being handled by Ziggurat Interactive, which is also gearing up to release enhanced versions of the BloodRayne games on consoles. 

League of Legends Champion Jinx is the latest skin soon to be added to Fortnite. 

Riot Games and Epic Games announced the team-up that brings Jinx to the battle royale today, and it marks the first time a League of Legends champion has ever been featured in a non-Riot game. Jinx will also be the main character in Netflix and Riot’s upcoming Arcane: League of Legends animated series, which premieres on November 6 at 10 p.m. EST on Netlflix and Twitch. 

The Jinx skin won’t be the only Jinx-themed item available for purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop. Here’s everything you can buy starting today at 8 p.m. EST: 

• Arcane Jinx Outfit
• Pow Pow Crusher Pickaxe
• Jinxed Spray
• Jinx’s Dream Monkey Back Bling
• Playground (Instrumental) Lobby Track
• Wreaking Havoc Loading Screen
• Katchoo! Loading Screen

Alongside news of the addition of Jinx in Fortnite, Riot Games has revealed that League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, League of Legends Runeterra, and Valorant are being added to the Epic Games Store. 

Take-Two Interactive has reportedly canceled a $53 million game that was being developed by Hangar 13. 

This news comes by way of Bloomberg, which reports that “people familiar with the decision” have learned that “further development of an unannounced title in its pipeline” has ended. Codenamed Volt, this game had reportedly gone through multiple iterations since first being conceived but ultimately, what led to its cancellation was the repeated “reboots, technological hiccups, and challenges caused by COVID-19,” Bloomberg reports. 

Volt’s development began in 2017, and it was set to be centered around various superheroes competing against each other. It would have featured an emphasis on online gameplay. 

“It was set to be a new intellectual property for Hangar 13, but 2K executives didn’t see it as a worthwhile investment because of the amount of time needed in development before it became a finished product,” Bloomberg’s report reads.