Even though Ubisoft seems to have completely abandoned Watch Dogs as a potential video game franchise, the publisher still appears to have high hopes for it on the silver screen. A movie adaptation of the first Watch Dogs was announced all the way back in 2013, with Zombieland and Deadpool writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Rheese on board to write the movie's screenplay. After almost a decade of development trouble, and the replacement of Wernick and Rheese with French genre director Mathieu Turi and writer Christie LeBlanc, it now appears as though the project is making some progress. In a new tweet by the official Ubisoft account, the publisher announced that filming has now wrapped on the Watch Dogs movie, sharing a picture of some of the crew behind a camera. That's obviously great news for a project that's had such a troubled past, though we have no idea how long post-production will take. It can vary depending on the amount of editing needed, though you'd assume a grounded movie like Watch Dogs wouldn't need all that much. Still, we have no idea what it's like behind the scenes, and projects like the recently released disaster that was the Borderlands movie have spent years in post-production. The main worry surrounding Watch Dogs at the moment is its potential quality. Having spent over a decade in the works, it's very possible Ubisoft could be about to deliver a potential stinker, though the publisher does have varied levels of success when it comes to adaptations. Ubisoft is working with production company New Regency for Watch Dogs, which just so happens to be the same company behind 2016's woeful Assassin's Creed adaptation. Not a great sign, but the company does have quality titles like 12 Years A Slave, The Revenant, and Birdman under its belt. Ubisoft also managed to breathe new life into Rayman last year too, with the fairly well-received Captain Laserhawk Netflix series. Unfortunately, there are too many unknowns with Watch Dogs to get a decent picture as to how it will turn out, though Ubisoft and New Regency will be hoping they can avoid pulling off another Borderlands.

Italian police have dismantled a retro game counterfeiting ring, seizing fake consoles and pirated games with an estimated combined worth of over $50 million. While details on the matter are limited, the seized goods reportedly infringed on Nintendo, Sega, and Atari's intellectual property, among others. According to a 2023 study conducted by the Video Game History Foundation, only 13% of games published before 2010 are currently available for purchase through legitimate means. The older a given title is, the less likely it is to still be retailing in any shape of form. This state of affairs gave rise to the popularity of all-in-one retro consoles, which are essentially emulators that come bundled with numerous classic games. With few exceptions, these products are typically never properly licensed and therefore considered bootleg materials. One Italian operation specializing in the trafficking of such products has been dismantled by Turin authorities in mid-September 2024, AFP news agency reports (via France 24). Alessandro Langella, a Turin financial police official heading its economic crime unit, said that the action resulted in the authorities seizing approximately 12,000 consoles that stored over 47 million pirated video games. The confiscated products have all been imported from China for the purpose of being resold via online retailers and specialized retro gaming stores, the official said, adding that this helped in tracking them. While Langella estimated that the combined value of the seized materials is in the ballpark of €47.5 million ($52.6 million), the official did not provide a breakdown of how Turin's financial police arrived at this figure. Based on the cited numbers, the recently seized batch consisted of devices that stored around 4,000 pirated titles on average. For reference, many all-in-one retro consoles that can currently be purchased stateside are priced in the sub-$100 range, including those that come with tens of thousands of games preinstalled. This would suggest that this batch of 12,000 consoles may not have generated more than a low seven-digit sum in revenue were the traffickers able to sell it, even if the total value of the licensed games that it contained was theoretically much higher. All of the seized hardware has already been destroyed. Turin's financial police arrested nine Italian nationals as part of the operation. They have all been charged with trading in counterfeited goods and are consequently facing up to eight years in prison if found guilty. Apart from containing pirated games, another issue with the seized consoles was that they were equipped with non-certified electrical circuits and batteries that did not meet EU safety or technical standards. A detailed list of the seized products has not been made public. However, authorities said that the now-destroyed retro consoles infringed on numerous intellectual properties, particularly those from Atari, Nintendo, and Sega. Street Fighter, Super Mario, and Star Wars retro games were among the most numerous pirated titles found on the seized devices.

A few days ago, it was revealed that Flappy Bird will be getting a brand-new game, courtesy of "the Flappy Bird Foundation." At the time, it was confirmed that the Foundation acquired the rights to the game, but it was unclear what role, if any, original creator Dong Nguyen would play. Nguyen has now confirmed that he has no involvement "related with their game." In a post on X/Twitter, Nguyen stated that "I did not sell anything. I also don't support crypto." As reported by Insider Gaming, the new Flappy Bird website has some hidden pages that contain references to crypto currency. While Nguyen has no involvement with the new Flappy Bird, the Flappy Bird Foundation's founding member is Kek, the developer of the 2011 game Piou Piou vs. Cactus. Following Flappy Bird's explosion in popularity, the original game began to draw comparisons to Piou Piou vs. Cactus, with many outlets noting similarities in both gameplay and character design. Speaking to Pocket Gamer in 2014, Kek pointed out these similarities, and seemed to be frustrated about the situation. However, he noted that he would not be pursuing legal action because he was unsure how strong the case might be. Fast forward a decade, and Kek is now the owner of Flappy Bird. As Nguyen noted, he did not sell those rights; Nguyen's rights to the game lapsed earlier this year, which is how Kek ended up with them in the first place. The announcement of this new Flappy Bird wasted no time establishing a connection to Kek's 2011 game, with Kek noting in the press release that "It's so cool to see how influential Piou Piou has been for developers and hundreds of millions of gamers over the years." The trailer for the new Flappy Bird even shows playable characters flying over cactuses, just like in Piou Piou vs. Cactus. It remains to be seen how the new Flappy Bird game will turn out, but the situation has resulted in strong feelings from gamers. Some fans of the original Flappy Bird argue that this is Flappy Bird in name only, while others are hopeful that the resulting game will be as addictive as the original.

Baldur's Gate 3 had a lengthy early-access period before its eventual release, and a lot of elements were changed between early access and full release. However, a lot of players aren't aware of these changes because Baldur's Gate 3's full release exposed the game to far more players than just the community who played during early access. The Baldur's Gate 3 early access veterans recently came together on a Reddit thread to discuss the cut content from early access that they wish made it into the final game. The top comment concerns Omeluum, the more likeable of the two sentient Mind Flayers the party encounters. He is first encountered in the Underdark, asking the player for help in finding rare mushrooms. Should the party comply, Omeluum may give the party a Ring of Mind Shielding which he says can help protect against their tadpoles. In the full release, the ring just protects against charms and Omeluum admits as much later on. However, in early access, the ring actually did stop the player from accessing Illithid powers. This storyline may have been intended as an anti-Emperor route in early access but ultimately ended up being cut content. Larian has never acknowledged her existence, but there was originally another origin character named Helia. She was a Halfling Werewolf, and data miners have found plenty of evidence of Helia's existence, including over 700 voice lines and dialogue from other characters referencing her like Karlach and Auntie Ethel. "Early Access Wyll" is a bit of a meme in the Baldur's Gate 3 community as the character used to be much less likeable. However, a cooler aspect of Wyll's old writing was that he lost his eye to the Goblin torturer Spike which pushed him to make a contract with Mizora to get revenge. He would then communicate with Mizora using his prosthetic eye. While nobody enjoyed Wyll's attitude, his connection to the Goblin Camp would have been a neat aspect of his character. People probably aren't seriously begging for this one to come back but it's worth noting. Cut content suggests that a male Dark Urge could have impregnated Minthara, or Minthara could have been impregnated by Orin already when the party meets her. This didn't make it to the final release. A lot of the comments refer to Daisy, a precursor to your Guardian in the full release. Daisy was a psychological manifestation of the tadpole, a dream visitor who tried to convince the player to submit to their Illithid powers. It's widely assumed The Dark Urge was intended to be the intended player character, and Bhaal and Daisy would sort of fight over Durge's soul. There's so much more cut content that could be talked about like all of the Upper City being scrapped, but Baldur's Gate 3 can only get so big. Still, it's fun to speculate and think about the narrative threads that didn't quite make the final release of the game.

A new Sony patent outlined an intriguing new prescription lens feature, potentially hinting at the company's research efforts regarding an all-new VR headset. This feature would require hardware that's not currently supported on PlayStation VR2, the current-generation VR headset from Sony. Sales of the PlayStation VR2 waned in the months following its launch on February 22, 2023, leading many to theorize that Sony was planning to scale back its VR development efforts. Many attribute the VR headset's lackluster sales to its $549.99 price at launch and a shortage of compelling first-party and third-party titles during the launch year. In March 2024, a Bloomberg report claimed that Sony was halting production of PlayStation VR2, nearly a year after the VR headset's launch. This was due to low interest from players, leading Sony to hold onto a great amount of unsold PlayStation VR2 stock. Despite this, the VR headset has experienced a resurgence of sorts in recent months, thanks to steep discounts and the release of PlayStation's official PC adapter for PlayStation VR2. According to a new patent from Sony, the company has researched a system that will detect prescription lenses added to a new VR headset. This patent was filed back on March 4, 2023, and made public a year and a half later, on September 5, 2024. As shown in the patent, the main goal of this system is to reduce the bulk and overall weight that comes with wearing vision correction eyeglasses and a VR headset like the PlayStation VR2 at the same time. In an effort to increase comfort and overall convenience, the system lets users insert prescription lenses into the sockets in the head-mounted device (HMD), instead of wearing traditional eyeglasses. Features like eye tracking and foveated rendering would still be supported on this new VR headset, as the HMD carries out many of the processes found in the PlayStation VR2. It's worth noting that the headset shown in the patent is not a PlayStation VR2 headset, since Sony's current VR headset does not have a socket for interchangeable prescription lenses. It's possible that the patent could be describing a feature for an all-new revision of the PlayStation VR2 to capitalize on some of its newfound success from the summer, or the patent could be referring to a next-generation VR headset that's currently in R&D at Sony. Despite PlayStation VR2's poor performance in its first year, the patent reassures fans that Sony is still working and trying to innovate in the VR space. Features and hardware shown in patents are not guaranteed to come to fruition, but this could be a sign that PlayStation fans may have more VR devices to look forward to in the future.

After a long time and an arduous legal process around two of his cars, Twitch star xQc has reportedly had a $500,000 lawsuit against former partner Adept dismissed by a judge. The long-standing legal battle between the Twitch streamer and his ex-girlfriend has made several headlines over the last few months. Ever since their separation in 2022, the couple has been in the spotlight, as many elements of their relationship have arisen and been made known to the public through their legal issues. Many of the lawsuits revolve around xQc's McLaren and other assets, and it appears that, after a long period of deliberation, he's finally received an answer regarding this. In a recent Q&A, xQc was asked about the status of his supercar lawsuit against Adept, to which he responded that it had reportedly been dismissed. According to the Twitch star, the McLaren was deemed a frozen asset, which means it could not be transferred to anyone but him. He also stated that Adept had taken it and sold it under the radar to pay for legal fees of her own, which he quickly pointed out to be illegal. This isn't the first time xQc has been amid controversy, as he's also been under the spotlight for his $100 million Kick deal and the questioning of its legitimacy by celebrities like Logan Paul. xQc also clarified that he was suing Adept for both his McLaren 720s Spider and his BMW X6M Competition, but only one car had been included on file. This resulted in a tedious lengthening of the legal process, as the lawsuit had to be redrafted and resubmitted to include both assets and correct the original mistake. With over 12 million followers on Twitch, many of his fans have stated that xQc could buy his supercars again without too much trouble, as he recently revealed to them that he'd spent a whopping $151,000 on Steam. However, the combined worth of both xQc's McLaren 720s Spider and BMW X6M Competition is somewhere in the $500,000 range, so, understandably, he would want to get them back or at least be made whole for that amount. While he appeared a bit discouraged in the recent Q&A where he gave his followers updates regarding the lawsuit, he also said that he's already won two cases against Adept. The streamer closed by saying that he's willing to bide his time and won't give up on the supercar lawsuit, even if it takes longer than he'd like.

Sony’s just-announced PlayStation 5 Pro console will also offer performance improvements for PlayStation VR2 games. That’s according to architect Mark Cerny, who told Cnet that the $700 console’s improved GPU power will allow for higher-resolution games on PSVR 2. Eventually, PS5 Pro’s AI-assisted upscaling mode, called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, will also work on PSVR 2 games in the future, according to Cerny. At the time of publishing, no specific PSVR 2 upgraded games have been announced and it’s not clear what kinds of improvements developers would make. PS5 Pro will launch on November 7, 2024, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99 / ¥119,980. According to a report earlier this year, Sony had paused production of PlayStation VR2, just one year after launch, so that it could deal with a backlog of unsold units. PlayStation VR2 was released in February 2023 at a price of $549.99 / £529.99, but Sony has still yet to officially confirm how many units it has sold to date. The PlayStation VR2 is getting PC support next month. The PlayStation VR2 headset PC adapter will be required.

We have good and bad news for Sonic Adventure fans. Well, we actually have two rounds of bad news, so let's get that out of the way first: Sonic Adventure 3 isn't in development right now, and the team doesn't think a solo Chao Garden game would work. The good news? Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka would "love" to make Sonic Adventure 3 at some point. This comes from an interview with VGC, in which Iizuka touched on the possibility of a third Sonic Adventure game after all of these years. The possibility of another Sonic Adventure game came up when Iizuka was shooting down the idea of a Chao Garden spin-off. "It’s not a standalone game, it’s integrated into the whole Adventure series gameplay, so we can’t just break it off and make it a thing," says Iizuka. "If you’re asking for Chao Garden and Adventure 3, then that’s pretty much asking for Adventure 3." Of course, many fans are asking for Sonic Adventure 3, to which Iizuka has more positive thoughts to share. "I think at some time I’d like to say ‘Hey, yeah, we’re making Adventure 3’, but we don’t have plans for that yet," he explains. "It’s just one of those things that, if the stars align and it can all happen, then yeah, we’d love to make it." So, if we get Sonic Adventure 3, then it's looking like we'll get another Chao Garden as well. But we also know that one was considered for Sonic Frontiers before being scrapped, so it's possible that future non-Adventure games will include one too. In the meantime, the next game will be Sonic X Shadow Generations, which launches on October 25. #sonic #team

We have good and bad news for Sonic Adventure fans. Well, we actually have two rounds of bad news, so let's get that out of the way first: Sonic Adventure 3 isn't in development right now, and the team doesn't think a solo Chao Garden game would work. The good news? Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka would "love" to make Sonic Adventure 3 at some point. This comes from an interview with VGC, in which Iizuka touched on the possibility of a third Sonic Adventure game after all of these years. The possibility of another Sonic Adventure game came up when Iizuka was shooting down the idea of a Chao Garden spin-off. "It’s not a standalone game, it’s integrated into the whole Adventure series gameplay, so we can’t just break it off and make it a thing," says Iizuka. "If you’re asking for Chao Garden and Adventure 3, then that’s pretty much asking for Adventure 3." Of course, many fans are asking for Sonic Adventure 3, to which Iizuka has more positive thoughts to share. "I think at some time I’d like to say ‘Hey, yeah, we’re making Adventure 3’, but we don’t have plans for that yet," he explains. "It’s just one of those things that, if the stars align and it can all happen, then yeah, we’d love to make it." So, if we get Sonic Adventure 3, then it's looking like we'll get another Chao Garden as well. But we also know that one was considered for Sonic Frontiers before being scrapped, so it's possible that future non-Adventure games will include one too. In the meantime, the next game will be Sonic X Shadow Generations, which launches on October 25. #sonic #team #head #would #love #to #make #sonic #adventure

Sony's new PlayStation 5 Pro console was finally announced today, and for the most part, has been met with quite a bit of backlash. Most PlayStation fans are specifically taking issue with the PS5 Pro's cost which comes in at a staggering value of $700. Despite Sony touting numerous different features that the PS5 Pro will have in tow when it releases in November, arguably the biggest selling point for many with the hardware will be Grand Theft Auto 6. Set to release next year, there's still virtually nothing that Rockstar Games has revealed about GTA 6. Outside of its initial teaser trailer that was let loose in December 2023, details on the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise are still slim to none. Still, what we do know with certainty about GTA 6 is that it's on track to be one of the most successful video games ever. Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto 5, has surpassed 200 million units sold and launched over a decade ago. As a result, there are countless tens of millions of fans around the globe who are going to be ready to purchase GTA 6 the moment it releases. To that end, those looking to have the best experience with Grand Theft Auto 6 when it arrives are surely going to find it on PS5 Pro. Rockstar itself hasn't talked yet about how it might take advantage of the new PlayStation console, but this version of GTA 6 will likely have some added features that those on base PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S won't. Given the nature of GTA 6 as an open-world game, too, it will be a far bigger deal that the game can run seamlessly at a high frame rate without having to sacrifice its visuals. Based on the game's initial trailer, that fidelity is something that fans aren't going to want to give up with how incredible it looks. While this might not seem like a big enough deal to warrant a purchase of a PS5 Pro, some Grand Theft Auto fans might feel differently. Grand Theft Auto 5 has been the game of choice for millions of players since 2013 and it's assumed that this crowd will immediately latch onto Grand Theft Auto 6. For this hardcore group of fans who plan to play GTA 6 for a decade (or more), it's not far-fetched that they would be willing to throw down big money for the most premium experience imaginable. When comparing this generation to the last, the biggest difference is that the PS5 Pro will be available in a market that isn't seeing a direct competitor from Xbox. In 2017, Microsoft released the Xbox One X as a means of going toe-to-toe with Sony's PS4 Pro. The Xbox One X was even the more powerful console of these mid-gen upgrades, which gave Microsoft a bit of a leg up when it came to selling its platform as being the best for third-party titles. Given how dismal Xbox's console sales have been in this generation, though, it seems like Microsoft is choosing to pass on releasing an upgraded Xbox Series platform in the middle of its life cycle. Microsoft itself hasn't outright confirmed this just yet, but the company has spoken more about the "next" Xbox rather than anything that would be released in the near future. With no competition coming from Xbox, it makes it that much more obvious that PS5 Pro is going to be the best option available when it comes to playing GTA 6. Sony itself will even be able to lean directly into this selling point in proximity to the release of GTA 6, especially if it also has marketing rights to the game. For millions of fans, simply seeing the PS5 Pro advertised as the "best place to play" could be enough to throw down money for the console, even if that asking price is $700. #ps5 #pro #biggest #selling #point