HHW Gaming
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Source: Arrowhead Game Studios/ Sony Interactive Entertainment / Helldivers 2
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s decision to require PSN linking has destroyed any goodwill that Arrowhead Game Studios built with its fantastic game Helldivers 2.
Friday, gamers, specifically Helldivers 2 fans, did not have any kind words for Sony Interactive Entertainment, the publisher of Arrowhead’s game, after it announced, “Due to technical issues at the launch of Helldivers 2, we allowed the linking requirements for Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account to be temporarily optional. That grace period will now expire.”
According to Sony, the bonehead decision was “critical” to the “safety and security” of Helldivers 2.
Following the announcement, gamers immediately pointed out that the PSN account linking would lead to many players no longer having access to the game via Steam because certain countries do not have PSN support.
Welp, those worries are bearing fruit.
Helldivers 2 Is No Longer Listed In 170 Territories Because of PSN Linking Requirement
Despite Helldivers 2’s community manager assuring players in countries without PSN support can continue playing the game and not worry about being denied access on Saturday, the game has been pulled from 170 territories lacking PSN support, according to listings from the Steam Database.
The fallout has been instantaneous.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Culture Crave notes that Helldivers 2’s Steam page has “over 100k negative reviews since [the] change was announced” and that “Steam is approving refund requests for players even if they’ve played over 2 hours.”
Like Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt, community managers are telling fans to direct their anger toward Sony Interactive Entertainment in hopes that bullying will make the company reverse its crappy decision.
As for the refunds, Valve is ignoring its policy by giving players who logged more than 100 hours spreading democracy and liberating Super Earth.
Steam usually only refunds players who have not exceeded 2 hours of playtime. Honestly, this is an intelligent decision on Valve’s part and an indication of how wrong Sony Interactive Entertainment’s decision was.
Gamers are still sounding off on Xitter about SIE’s ridiculous decision.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. G R E E D
2. Yup, to put it simply.
4. Exactly
8. We don’t want the game to be buried, let’s just hope Sony just changes it’s mind
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Source: Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment / Helldivers 2
Sony might have put on a masterclass regarding self-sabotage with its latest decision, which has Helldivers 2 players on PC BIG MAD.
Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 quickly became one of the biggest releases of the year, but now, thanks to a move by Sony, it quickly hit a sour patch with its loyal players.
Players who spread democracy by playing Helldivers 2 via Windows PC via Steam learned today that they will now need a PlayStation Network account to maintain access to the game.
Sony Interactive Entertainment, the game’s publisher, relayed the head-scratching news to players on the game’s Steam page.
“Due to technical issues at the launch of Helldivers 2, we allowed the linking requirements for Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account to be temporarily optional,” Sony wrote. “That grace period will now expire. See details below in this post.”
Sony claims account-linking with the PlayStation Network is “critical” to the “safety and security” of Helldivers 2.
“This is our main way to protect players from griefing and abuse by enabling the banning of players that engage in that type of behaviour,” Sony said. “It also allows those players that have been banned the right to appeal.”
New players will be required to connect their Steam and PlayStation Network accounts beginning May 6 before they can begin playing the game.
Current players will see a mandatory log-in beginning May 30. They will have until June 4 to link their accounts, allowing them to sign up for a free PlayStation Network account if they don’t already have one.
Gamers Are BIG MAD
The reactions to Sony’s move with Helldivers 2 were instant, with the game’s rating on Steam taking a hit.
One user on X, formerly Twitter pointed out why the decision could be potentially bad saying in a post, “To folks wondering why mandating linking your Sony account to Helldivers 2 on PC is such a big deal, players in many countries, such as Belarus, Phillipines and nearly the entirety of Africa don’t have PSN support, so those Helldivers will be defacto banned in a few weeks.”
Another user pointed to the former Xbox exclusive Sea of Thieves requiring the something similar, and players not overeacting.
“Helldivers 2 backlash seems fake. Steam players need a Microsoft account to play Sea Of Thieves and no one bat an eye,” another X user wrote.
In response to the outrage, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt told gamers to direct their anger at Sony and directed them to PlayStation Support.
Lol, bruh.
There is a good chance that Windows PC players will bully Sony into changing their minds. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Damn shame
3. Tsk Tsk Tsk
5. The accuracy
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Source: Bennett Raglin / Getty / Wu-Tang Clan
Word on the video game streets is that the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan video game is coming along and will feature an animation style from Sony’s animated Spider-Man films.
Spotted on Insider Gaming, two separate reports from WindowsCentral’s Jez Corden and VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb (via Game Mess), more details about “Project Shaolin” are emerging.
“Project Shaolin” first appeared on radars thanks to a 2021 NVIDIA leak that revealed a plethora of codenamed project titles in development.
Both Corden and Grubbs reports share details about the game and what gamers can expect from it.
Per Insider Gaming:
According to both reports, the game is a third-person melee-oriented RPG complete with four-player co-op. The game was also said to heavily involve the Wu-Tang Clan members themselves with the game’s soundtrack and would feature the likes of loot, weapons, and gear from defeated enemies. According to the reports, the game is in development at Brass Lion Entertainment, a new studio formed in 2019 by Manveer Heir.
Insider Gaming can corroborate these original reports and understands that the game is currently in its Alpha stage.
The gameplay evolves around fast-paced melee combat in third-person, with a strong focus on having both music and combat intertwined. Players can choose from four different weapons that all have different and unique playstyles (single swords, dual swords, etc.). It’s understood that the game features a massive catalog of the Wu-Tang Clan’s music, most of which has been re-imagined by producer and DJ Just Blaze for the game.
“Project Shaolin” Will Feature Playable Wu-Tang Clan Members
Insider Gaming also reports that all nine Wu-Tang Clan members will be playable characters and that each character will serve as “the player’s limited-time buff that will give you ultimate moves, increased health, and more.”
The website also says it did see gameplay footage of “Project Shaolin” under the condition that they don’t share it and that the animation is similar to Sony’s animated Spider-Verse films.
As for the Wu-Tang Clan, this is not the first time the iconic rap stable’s involvement in the video game space. The group’s love for martial arts and kung-fu flicks led to the development of PlayStation’s game Wu-Tang Shaolin Style in 1999.
The game didn’t feature the actual Staten Island-based rap group members, but they did lend their voices to characters based on their rap monikers.
The members of the Wu-Tang Clan also appear in other games, such as Def Jam: Vendetta and Def Jam: Fight For New York.
We can’t wait to finally see what Project Shaolin looks like when the first trailer arrives. Maybe Xbox might unveil it at its upcoming Xbox Showcase next month.
10 photos
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Source: LinkedIn / LinkedIn Games
You can now play some games on LinkedIn before you embark on your daily job hunt.
LinkedIn is the latest company to enter the video gaming market. Spotted on The Verge, the social media platform mainly used by people to find employment and share their accomplishments, will now allow its users to play games.
The company isn’t selling games or making users pay a subscription fee to play its offering of three games, Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb, yet.
Users can play each of them once per day, as well as other metrics like high scores and daily streaks on the platform. You can head here to gain access to LinkedIn’s game offerings.
Per The Verge, Here Is A Description of Each Game:
Pinpoint is a word association game. The game will unveil five different words, and your job is to guess the category the words fit into. The words will reveal themselves on a timer with the objective being to guess the category in as few words as possible.
Crossclimb combines trivia with clever wordplay. You’ll be given a clue for a word, and with that word as a starting point, you’ll create a ladder of words with each subsequent entry being just one letter off from the one before. Arranging the words in the correct order will reveal the clue to guess the locked entries on the ladder to win the game. It’s probably better to see it in action.
Finally, Queens is the most interesting game as it’s merely sudoku without numbers. Place queens on a grid such that no queens touch each other and there is a single queen in each row and column.
While many might be puzzled by LinkedIn’s decision to add games to its platform, this shouldn’t be shocking. The platform could be trying to keep old users on the site while attracting new ones.
LinkedIn Is Joining Other Companies
LinkedIn isn’t the first company to do this. The New York Times made the jump into the game space, with Axios reporting that its games were played over 8 billion times, with Wordle, which it acquired in 2022, accounting for more than half of those plays.
Users can pay a subscription fee to play the games or opt for the more expensive subscription, which gives them access to other New York Times content besides the games.
Netflix is also slowly building its video game library, allowing subscribers to play games like Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition or Hades.
LinkedIn will regularly offer games on its platform, with Lakshman Somasundaram, its product director, saying in a press release, “It’s time we turn over a new leaf in how we deepen and reignite relationships at work and put fun at the heart of it.”
We are intrigued to see how long this lasts.
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Take-Two
Even with games like Grand Theft Auto V, the forthcoming GTA 6, and the NBA 2K franchise under its belt, Take-Two Interactive is the latest video game publisher that will reduce its workforce and drop projects.
Spotted on The Verge, Take-Two announced it will lay off “approximately five percent” of its global workforce and scrap several projects already in development.
In an SEC filing published Tuesday, the company said it was “streamlining its organizational structure, which will eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs.”
Take-Two says that its “cost reduction program” will see the company be subject to charges up to $200 million, hoping to save $165 million a year.
The website reports that Take-Two’s downsizing efforts should be “largely completed” by December 31st, 2024.
As for the workers, a 5% reduction in the workforce would amount to around 579 out of the company’s 11,580 employees, which Take-Two disclosed in a previous impact report.
There is no word on what departments the layoffs will happen in or what projects Take-Two will be cutting. GTA 6 will feel the sting of these cost-cutting measures.
Of course, the news is not sitting well with gamers who tire of hearing about layoffs in an incredibly profitable industry.
Oh, and we can’t forget that Take-Two Interactive is still working on purchasing Borderlands developer Gearbox from The Embracer Group for $460 million.
“They’re doing this a year out from releasing the sequel to the most commercially successful game of all time,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, said.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Follow his lead
9. It better not
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Source: Momodu Mansaray / Getty / Keanu Reeves
It’s not often that we get perfect castings in films, but according to X, Paramount got this one right.
Multiple sources are telling The Hollywood Reporter that Keanu Reeves and his iconic voice will bring to life fan-favorite character Shadow The Hedgehog in the highly anticipated film Sonic 3.
The news first reported by The John Campea Show comes after Paramount had a strong showing at CinemaCon last week in Las Vegas, where attendees saw some early footage from Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
In the footage, attendees were happy to see that Jim Carrey is back as Dr. Robotnik, who is now depressed and overweight after being defeated by his long-time nemesis, Sonic.
Robotnik regains his mojo after creating Shadow, who is, in every sense, the dark version of the Blue Blur and has similar abilities.
Following a lackluster trailer that first introduced a hideous Sonic The Hedgehog design that Twitter bullied the studio into changing, the first movie raced into theaters in 2020, earning a whopping $319 million at the box office and becoming one of the last theatrical blockbusters right before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down.
Sonic 2 arrived in 2022, introducing more characters like Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), earning $404 million.
Reeves continues to stay quite busy in Hollywood, most recently starring in John Wick 4, bringing back Neo in The Matrix: Resurrections, reprising his role as John Wick in the upcoming spinoff John Wick Presents: The Ballerina, and a role in Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune.
Social Media Users Chime In On The Casting
Following the announcement, X, formerly Twitter, celebrates Reeves casting in the film.
“THIS IS GONNA BE THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,” one X user wrote.
Another post read, “perfect casting.”
Some fans are disappointed because they wanted Star Wars star Hayden Christensen to voice Shadow.
If you ask us, this sounds like a win to us. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. We will be seated for this epicness.
3. Sonic fans we are eating
4. We would love to see it.
7. Howling
9. Yes, yes they do.
10. Continue to cook
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Source: Future Publishing / Getty / White Xbox Series X
Didn’t care for the black Xbox Series X console? Well, there might be a white option on the way.
Exputer has shared leaked images of a white All-Digital Xbox Series X sporting the “robot white” look of Series S. The Verge reports it has seen documents confirming the photos are genuine.
While there should be excitement for the white All-Digital Xbox Series X, it can also mean that Xbox’s console refresh, the leaked “Brooklin” console, could have its wig pushed back.
The Verge reached out for comment but has not gotten word back.
The Brooklin console was also disc-less, but instead of box-shaped, it sports a new circular design plus a much-needed increased internal storage of 2TB, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, improved efficiency, 15% reduced PSU power, and a $499 price.
Xbox was allegedly gunning for a November release date, but speaking on the leak, Xbox chief Phil Spencer threw some cold water on those expectations.
“It is hard to see our team’s work shared in this way because so much has changed, and there’s so much to be excited about right now and in the future,” Spencer said in a September post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will share the real plans when we are ready.”
Exputer also reports that the All-Digital Xbox’s new coat of white paint and lack of disc drive are not the only upgrades. Some internal components, including the heatsink, which cools the console, will see an upgrade.
As for the price, Exputer reports the console will cost $50-$100 less than the current $499 Xbox Series X console.
Gamers Have Thoughts
The news of the white All-Digital Xbox Series X is sparking reactions. “Charging more while getting less. A tale as old as time. At least the ps5 slim still has a drive for $500, “one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Why wouldn’t you just get a PC at this point? The whole thing about consoles is the physical media with them and their exclusives. And the Xbox won’t have either anymore if this is true,” another post read.
Again, this isn’t confirmed, but if Xbox does verify its existence, we are intrigued to see how it will be received.
Hit the gallery below for more reactions.
1. Damn, flat out no.
2. Well, someone is excited
6. It might be cheaper
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Source: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto 6’s 2025 date release could be in danger.
According to a Kotaku report, Grand Theft Auto 6, the next highly anticipated installment in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, could have its wig pushed back.
GTA 6 is still slated for an “early 2025” release date, but that date is in jeopardy due to “production delays.” The game could be released in late 2025 or sometime in 2026.
Per Kotaku:
As remote workers struggle with an unwanted return-to-office mandate from Rockstar Games, Kotaku has learned from sources with knowledge of the game’s development process that GTA 6 could miss its 2025 release window and slip into 2026.
Kotaku has also learned that it’s becoming more and more likely that the sequel might not land until late 2025. It’s also possible that it could even slip into 2026 as production reportedly falls behind.
While security and quality are reportedly the main reasons Rockstar is instituting the mandate to return to the office, I was told by sources—who wish to remain anonymous to avoid possible retaliation—that development on GTA 6 has started “falling behind.” I’m told this has leadership at Rockstar nervous and worried about the game missing the 2025 window and slipping into 2026, and is another big reason the company is pushing for a return to the office in April.
Is Rockstar Games Pushing Out Remote Workers?
Kotaku’s report comes after Bloomberg’s report that Rockstar Games was ending remote work, ordering employees back to the office following numerous leaks.
The drastic change was met with immediate criticism and caught many by surprise, leading to frustration. According to Aftermath’s reporting, some employees initially hired to work remotely felt like they were being pushed out of the company by not complying and completely upending their lives.
Some workers expressed concern to Aftermath that Rockstar Games was reverting back to its old crunch ways.
“We’re concerned about going back to that,” one Rockstar employee told Aftermath.
“I’ve been through a couple of projects, both of which had crunch. The first one was extremely difficult. I had way less gray hair back then. … We want to continue the strides we’ve made as a company to remove that toxic culture.”
Gamers also react to the news that they may have to wait even longer for GTA 6.
Some want Rockstar Games to take its time with the game, others don’t want the developers to experience crunch, and some are just overwriting; it’s been about 11 years.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. LOL, damn
4. Exactly
5. No, not yet
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / Xbox
Xbox has been in the news A LOT as of late, primarily due to fanboys losing their sh*t about the company’s new direction, but this latest development is something many gamers are on board for.
Spotted on VG247, the Microsoft gaming division is reportedly looking to make a big splash in the handheld gaming department after seeing Sony’s surprising success with its cloud-based/remote-play PS5 companion device, the PlayStation Portal.
On a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast, Windows Central managing editor Jez Corden claims the Microsoft gaming company already has working prototypes.
Per VG247:
Speaking on the Xbox Two podcast, Jez Corden said that he knows that “[Xbox] have got handheld prototypes right now.” He clarified that they are “new prototypes” and not old ones that were supposedly previously in the works, and he also made sure to point out that it’s “not a cloud handheld” it’s “a fully native Xbox handheld.” This was pointed out on the podcast too, but it should be noted that just because Xbox is working on a handheld prototype, if it is, that doesn’t mean it will ever actually release. Projects like these are cancelled all the time, so don’t go writing any comments complaining it never came out when it was never guaranteed in the first place.
A “Fully Native” Handheld Sounds Clutch
This news isn’t all that surprising because Xbox is pushing the plan to make Xbox Game Pass available on devices other than Xbox Series X, S, or PC.
You can now run the subscription gaming platform on handhelds like Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Logitech G Cloud, the Lenovo-Legion Go, or your smartphones via a cloud gaming app still in beta.
However, a dedicated device would be a clutch, especially if paired with an Xbox Game Pass.
Gamers are reacting positively to the rumor of a “fully native” handheld console.
“I want a Xbox Handheld – its time As much as I like my ROG Ally, portable hardware that plays all my Xbox games with a simplified UI and not having to worry about system settings with improved battery life In other words a pick up and play experience,” Kinda Funny (XCast) and Gamertag Radio host Parris Lilly wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. From your lips to God’s ears.
2. We hear you Parris
3. It would be nice
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Source: Activision / Activision
Activision just dropped Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile and one of the millions of people who downloaded the app and gave it a spin was Memphis rapper NLE Choppa. The “Shotta Flow” rapper has been occupied with the whole rap star thing, so he now considers himself a former gamer.
Source: Activision / Activision
“I don’t have too much time for it now,” Choppa, who participated in Thursday’s (March 21) Warzone Mobile Streamathon, told Hip-Hop Wired. “Once upon a time I was deep. I still do it in my free time, though. I was like 2K, [Grand Theft Auto], Call of Duty, all of those different games.”
Apparently, becoming a star rapper takes up a lot of time (a record deal with Warner Bros., two hit albums and touring will do that) so his hours spent on the sticks had to suffer.
Nevertheless, Choppa stays in tune with CoD (“Every new Call Of Duty I’m copping.”), and he gave Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile a thumbs up even though it seems he’s better on a PS5. “I was just playing it in my green room it’s actually kind of cool with the joystick thing connected to the phone. I don’t know if I’m as sharp with the tapping it on the screen, but the joystick, I could be able to work that for sure.”
Back to the music for a second, he just dropped a song called “AMF” with Flau’jae, the female rapper who happens to currently be a star guard on LSU’s women’s basketball team. “It came together with her, her mom, my mom, and me. Just respecting the relationship they have as a daughter and a mom-a-ger standpoint and it’s the same thing with my mom and my /manager,” said Choppa. “We connected that way and just always supported Flau’jae from basketball and we got the track in.”
Speaking of Flau’jae dropped 14 in LSU’s win over Rice.
Choppa also says he’s seriously retiring his “Shotta Flow,” with the last, “Shotta Flow 7” having been released in February. He’s starting another series but for the sake of Activision, we won’t mention the somewhat NSFW title here. But back to Call Of Duty: Warzone Mobile and gaming in general, he’ll always find time for a good reason.
“Really it’s just a break from the world,” explains Choppa of why plays video games. “It’s just a break from who I am. To just be able to live that inner child feeling again, just to be able to play games is the goal for me, just to feel like a kid.”
Sounds like a plan. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is available right now on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Source: Activision / Activision