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Marathon’s ‘experimental’ PvE mode will only be playable for 2 weeks when it goes live in July, full rollout expected to happen sometime in Season 3
Bungie will launch an experimental player-versus-environment mode for Marathon in July, but it will initially be available for only two weeks. The limited test is intended to gather player feedback before a wider release, reflecting the developer’s cautious approach to adding PvE content to its upcoming extraction shooter. The mode is expected to receive a…
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Fortnite is getting a bunch of AI-powered ‘personas’
Epic Games will allow Fortnite creators to publish experiences featuring AI-voiced characters from 30 July, expanding the use of conversational non-player characters in the game. The move matters because it gives creators access to 36 ready-made Fortnite personas while raising continuing questions about voice consent, safeguards and the behaviour of AI characters. The available characters…
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Coca-Cola suspended production at its Fairlife dairy after a ransomware attack
Coca-Cola has temporarily suspended US production at its Fairlife dairy business after a ransomware attack affected its production systems. The disruption matters because Fairlife is a major Coca-Cola brand, and cyberattacks on food suppliers can cause prolonged production problems and shortages for retailers. Coca-Cola disclosed the incident in a filing with the US Securities and…
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Microsoft Restores Player’s 25-Year-Old Account With Son’s Baby Photos After Nuking It Due to Hacker
Microsoft has restored Joshua Khane’s 25-year-old Microsoft account after it was compromised by a hacker and initially suspended. The recovery returned access to his Xbox purchases, OneDrive data and irreplaceable family photos, while raising concerns about account recovery and reliance on digital services. Khane said the account contained thousands of dollars’ worth of games and…
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Salad Chains Are Seeing Foot Traffic Drop Over Cyclosporiasis Fears
US salad chains including Chopt, Panera Bread and Sweetgreen have seen a fall in customer visits amid growing public fear of a large cyclospora outbreak linked to possible lettuce contamination. Although none of these chains has been formally connected to the outbreak, anxiety over the parasite, which causes severe gastrointestinal illness, has driven shoppers towards…
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Half of all games released on Steam will use AI by 2028, study predicts: “AI lowers the barrier not just to make a game but to make several”
A new study predicts that by 2028, half of all games released on the Steam platform will incorporate artificial intelligence in some form, reflecting how rapidly AI tools are being adopted across game development. The forecast highlights growing concern within the industry that AI is not just changing how individual games are made, but is…
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Amsterdam activists throw acid at Microsoft datacenter project
Extinction Rebellion’s Dutch branch said it targeted a datacentre under construction in Amsterdam by throwing balloons containing an acidic mixture at its foundations. The group said the action was intended to damage concrete and speed corrosion in steel reinforcement, protesting the environmental impact of AI infrastructure and alleging wider social harms; the incident highlights escalating…
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Bungie announces new Marathon PvE mode, an experimental roguelite
Bungie will add Vault Breaker, an experimental roguelite PvE mode, to Marathon in a mid-season update on 21 July. The mode is intended to broaden the extraction shooter’s activities while the studio’s future depends heavily on Marathon following Destiny 2’s development wind-down and recent layoffs. Players can enter the Cryo Archive alone, in pairs or…
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The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Is One of the Best PC Gaming Controllers Under $50, and It’s Less Than Half That Price
IGN reports that Amazon has reduced the lavender 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless PC Gaming Controller from $29.99 to $23.99, a 20% discount. The article presents it as a strong budget option for PC and handheld gaming, particularly for buyers seeking features normally associated with more expensive controllers. The controller has Hall Effect magnetic joysticks and…
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EXCLUSIVE: Hawley expands USPS probe with blistering letter accusing chief of dodging Congress
Senator Josh Hawley has expanded his oversight investigation into the US Postal Service, accusing Postmaster General David Steiner of failing to respond adequately to Congress. The dispute matters because it concerns the postal service’s accountability to elected lawmakers and its management of potential operational changes. In a strongly worded letter, the Missouri Republican demanded records…