At a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) public panel on microtransactions in video games, the Entertainment Software Association announced that all three console platform-holders have agreed to a voluntary change in their policies toward loot boxes. Though the ESA’s Michael Warnecke defended the practice in broad terms, he said, going forward, any new games or game updates that add loot boxes on Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony platforms will be required to disclose the rarity rates of items.
“Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have indicated to the ESA a commitment to new platform policies with respect to the use of paid loot boxes in games that are developed for their platform,” Warnecke said. “Specifically, this would apply to new games and game updates that add loot box features, and it would require the disclosure of the relative rarity or probabilities of obtaining randomized virtual items in games available on their platforms.”
Warnecke noted that many leading publishers that are members of the ESA have committed to a similar approach at the publisher level, and that this voluntary disclosure puts all platforms on par with the mobile disclosure requirements. Though the ESA did not mention specific companies that have agreed to the disclosures, its membership includes major publishers like Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Disney, Epic Games, Square Enix, Take-Two, and Ubisoft. GameSpot is contacting ESA members for clarification on their individual policies.
“This approach would also be compatible with the Apple and Google approach on the mobile platform. We believe that, taken together, this provides a comprehensive approach to ensuring that consumers get the information they need so they can make informed purchasing decisions when it comes to paid loot boxes.”
GameSpot has contacted Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony for comment.
Cyberpunk 2077 can’t come soon enough. After years of waiting, the highly-anticipated first-person action-RPG’s release date was confirmed for April 16, 2020, at E3 2019. While that’s still a little while away, we’re fortunate in that he fine people at R. Talsorian Games have released the jump start kit for Cyberpunk Red–the latest edition of the tabletop RPG franchise that Cyberpunk 2077 is based on called Cyberpunk 2020.
Cyberpunk Red acts as a sequel to Cyberpunk 2020. It’s set in-between the events of the tabletop original and the upcoming game. If you do the math that’s 57 years unaccounted for, so that’s a lot of new details about the Cyberpunk universe being revealed here.
Below you can find all the biggest new lore, history, and character tidbits. You’re welcome to watch the video version above.
Before we really dig into Red, let’s dive into a bit of background from the Cyberpunk 2020 creator himself, Mike Pondsmith. In a previous interview we conducted with the famed creator, he described Cyberpunk’s world as such:
Cyberpunk 2077 is based in the world of tabletop RPG, Cyberpunk 2020.
“The 2020 world is a fusion of many types and elements of the overall genre. And it’s about a combination of technology gone wrong but being used by people in novel ways up against large megacorporations, powerful people, and powerful forces, governments, etc that are all conspiring to keep people oppressed and stomped on.”
While you can create any sort of Cyberpunk city or setting you’d like in the tabletop RPG, the books and the upcoming game focus on Night City, an urban sprawl between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
As Pondsmith said, corporations (are mostly) calling all the shots and doing what they can to keep the people oppressed. While governments still exist, they rarely pose much of a threat to the corporate overlords.
The lack of government regulation has left the megacorporations free to start conflicts on a whim with little repercussions. These wars have been dubbed the “Corporate Wars,” and typically end in lots of bloodshed.
The 4th Corporate War
Cyberpunk Red takes place in 2045 after the Fourth Corporate War, a bloody conflict started in 2021 by Aquacorps CINO and OTEC and later escalated by Militech and Arasaka. As different corporations aligned with either Arasaka or Militech, an all-out war was waged between different corporations across the planet. The megacorps rolled through countries, broke international laws, and hired private armies to do their bidding.
The 4th corporate war inevitably ended with the death of over half a million people.
In an attempt to put an end to the war, Johnny Silverhand aka Keanu Reeves and the Solo (hit-man) Morgan Blackhand led an attack on the Arasaka headquarters in Night City. During the raid, a small nuclear bomb was detonated and leveled most of Night City, killing over half a million people. Despite knowing that the bomb was supplied by Militech, the US president put the blame on Arasaka and nationalized Militech. The increased pressure reduced Arasaka to a Japan-only corporation for the next ten years.
Due to the combined efforts of Miltech and national armies, the 4th Corporate War was put to an end.
Welcome to the Time of the Red
The end of the 4th Corporate War ushered in the Time of the Red. So why is it called Cyberpunk Red? Well due to the mass destruction and radiation from the 4th Corporate War, a “red pall hangs over the skies worldwide.” However, the radiation isn’t that big of a threat because most people living in this universe already had radiation filters installed in their bodies.
Cyberpunk Red is named after the red skies that filled the world after the nuclear destruction at the end of the 4th corporate war.
With major cities in shambles, people have been reclaiming the once-abandoned towns and settlements throughout the country. As you’d expect, bandits and other questionable types roam the wilds. Most people who venture beyond the cities stick with armed nomad caravans.
Meanwhile, in 2030, sweeping reconstruction projects take place across the world. Especially in Night City which had its city center leveled. However, in the interim, the city outskirts and districts less affected by the bomb have become overcrowded.
By 2045 the first Mega Building is erected. These are huge buildings designed to safely house as many people as possible. V’s apartment in the 2077 gameplay reveal demo is located in a Mega Building. As the narrator says in the video, these apartment buildings have everything one could possibly need and typically form micro-societies within Night City.
In 2045, Night City’s NCART subway system has also seen better days. While it’s still functional, flooding is a common occurrence and it gets delayed frequently. According to Red’s world book, “City planners are working to raise a majority of the track into a new monorail configuration, but that will take time and money the city doesn’t have.” Something tells us this monorail system will be completed by the time 2077 rolls around.
The NET
To kick off this new era, the NET as we know it, or rather as we’d know it from Cyberpunk 2020, has been wiped out. Originally you were able to travel the world and into space via the NET, but the infrastructure that allowed for that kind of freedom had been destroyed. After the 4th Corporate War, Netrunners had to physically jack in to local networks if they wanted access.
The Time of the Red introduced city-wide networks called DataPools.
Based on what we’ve seen of Cyberpunk 2077, We’d imagine this localized NET infrastructure is still present in the 2070s. As we saw in the 48-minute gameplay reveal, once V jacked into the Maelstrom gang’s network, she had access to the entire hideout.
However, in the Time of the Red, Netrunners had to own a set of fancy VR goggles called Cyberdecks if they wanted to jack in to a network. Based on what we’ve seen of Cyberpunk 2077, either you don’t need a cyberdeck to hack or they aren’t nearly as bulky as what’s described in Red.
Along with a series of localized networks, the Time of the Red introduced city-wide networks called DataPools. These can be accessed in one of two ways: Through a Data Term or cell phone-like device called an Agent. From what we can tell, local networks rarely interface with these DataPools.
Data Pools are essentially the internet if it was localized to a city. You can message people, share information, buy stuff, and research things, i.e. Facebook, forums, Amazon, and Wikipedia would all exist within the Data Pool. It’s also home to something called PopMedia, which is described as an “entertainment and news programming created by independent producers instead of MegaCorps.” According to the world book, it also boasts an “ungodly amount of trash.”
Chances are, your primary communication device in Cyberpunk 2077 will be your Agent. In Cyberpunk Red, Agents come in three forms: Basic, Expensive, and Luxury. Agents can do pretty much anything a modern phone can do. Though, it is possible to reprogram an agent to act as a surrogate lover and purchase other complementary cybernetic enhancements to suit various needs…This sounds like a Cyberpunk 2077 sidequest waiting to be written.
Living in Red
Life in the Time of the Red can be difficult. Wars break out over fresh food so most people’s diets consist of Kibble and other synthetic foods. Even then, those meals aren’t always cheap. It’s hard to say what meals will look like in 2077, but considering Night City seems to be a bit more stable in CD Projekt Red’s RPG, we bet the food options will be a bit more diverse. After all, we do see someone eating with chopsticks in the reveal trailer. However, it’s still unclear if you will need to manage your hunger or if it’s just a means to recoup a bit of health like in The Witcher 3.
With the public transportation system constantly on the fritz, cars were your most reliable way of getting around during the Time of the Red. And while fancy cybercars did exist, they were expensive and hard to drive unless you were cybered up. Fortunately, good old fuel-burning cars are still kicking during Red.
The AV-4 is described as “the closest thing to a science fiction jet-car.” One of these popped up in Cyberpunk 2077’s debut gameplay.
While cybercars might be rare, Cyberbikes aren’t. These things can run off alcohol or water and are definitely present in 2077. In fact, during this year’s behind closed doors demo at E3 we got a glimpse of V riding a Yaiba-Kusanagi cyberbike.
Two other vehicles Cyberpunk Red mentions are the F-152 Aerogyro, which is basically a one-man helicopter, and the McDonnell Douglas AV-4. The AV-4 is described as “the closest thing to a science fiction jet-car.” These can reach speeds of 350 miles an hour and are typically reserved for corporate big-wigs and trauma teams. We’d say that the aircraft we see at the beginning of the gameplay reveal is one of these. Considering CD Projekt Red has said that you probably won’t be able to pilot flying cars or vehicles, we think it’s safe to say that transportation technology won’t make too many advancements before 2077. However, we bet we’ll see more cybercars.
And of course, one of the most important things for any cyberpunk is their style. CD Projekt Red released a series of images teasing some of the various styles. However, clothing does more for a cyberpunk than net them clout on the street. Depending on how much you’re willing to spend you can find jackets with built-in portable chargers, clothing that adjusts to the temperature, bodysuits that can change colors and textures, and undershirts that can harden into body armor. Hopefully, when 2077 comes out you’ll be able to give your netrunning ninja assassin a bodysuit that lets her cloak herself as she breaks into a corporate headquarters.
The People of Red
But what about Johnny Silverhand and Morgan Blackhand? Well, they should be dead. But if you’ve seen the E3 2019 trailer, it’s clear that Johnny is alive…at least in some form.
According to the Cyberpunk Red timeline, there are rumors that Johnny Silverhand’s body was found in cold storage in a body bank under the wreckage. This is just wild speculation but we hope you get to recover Johnny Silverhand’s body at some point during 2077.
Is Johnny Silverhand still alive in Cyberpunk 2077?
Morgan Blackhand, on the other hand, is rumored to be covertly working for President Kress and the US Government. We’re not sure exactly how could play a role in 2077, but based on the gameplay reveal you can pick Morgan Blackhand to be one of your character’s role models.
Pokemon Sword and Shield introduce a few new mechanics to the series, most notably Gigantamaxing and Max Raid Battles. Those aren’t the only features the games are adding to the mix, however. Following the latest Galar Research Update video, The Pokemon Company revealed another new mechanic in the upcoming titles: Poke Jobs.
Each Pokemon Center in the Galar region features a new type of PC called a Rotomi. In addition to being able to store your extra Pokemon here, the Rotomi appears to serve a similar purpose as job boards in other RPGs, letting you browse through a list of available Poke Jobs. Once you accept one, you can then send Pokemon from your boxes out to complete the task, and they’ll return after a certain amount of time with rewards.
According to the official Pokemon website, Pokemon you send off on jobs will earn experience points and may even net you some rare items. Certain types of Pokemon will be more suited to specific jobs, and the amount of rewards you receive will depend on how long the Pokemon worked and how suited they were for the task.
We also recently learned that Sword and Shield will feature their own regional variant Pokemon, much like Sun and Moon before them. The games’ latest trailer revealed Galarian forms of Weezing, Zigzagoon, and Linoone. Interestingly, the Galarian version of Linoone is capable of evolving into an entirely new Pokemon named Obstagoon.
The latest trailer also revealed Gen 8’s adorable Electric rodent, Morpeko, which resembles a hamster and is able to change between “Full Belly” and “Hangry” forms. Additionally, the video introduced two new rival characters, Bede and Marnie, as well as this generation’s villainous team, Team Yell.
EA has revealed what’s new in FIFA 20‘s Career Mode on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The mode, which has remained largely unchanged for the last two years, is getting dynamic press conferences, updates to player potential, and more.
“Our vision was to breathe new life into the Manager Career experience by … [building] a variation of ever-changing stories that would surface to our players through pre- and post-match press conferences and player conversations,” EA said in a blog post.
That manifests itself in dynamic interviews with journalists both before and after big matches, with the journalists asking different questions “depending highly on the outcome, goals scored, opponent, time of season or stage of competition, and more.”
Similarly, managers can converse with players one-on-one through a “messaging app-like interface,” EA said. “The manager will have to deal with a variety of requests from players as well as happy or disgruntled players that are trying to get their thoughts across. The manager will have to find ways, either through direct actions or by communicating his/her stance in order to mitigate and solve these situations.”
Together, the two features contribute to a player’s morale, a system which has been revamped for FIFA 20. As well as conferences and one-on-ones, player morale is affected by playing time, wages, and both individual and team performances. High morale boosts players’ attributes, so picking the right answers and playing the right players are important considerations.
The final big new feature is dynamic player potential, whereby young stars’ potential overall rating will change depending on their performances. If, for example, a young striker is banging in the goals in his debut season, his potential peak rating will increase; similarly, an ageing player who’s still keeping up with modern football will see his stats drop off at a slower-than-expected rate.
Elsewhere, Career Mode contains a number of smaller tweaks and updates on the current iteration. These include:
Improved manager customization, utilizing the new character creation tool seen in Volta and across FIFA 20–this means you can create female managers for the first time in FIFA.
Rebranded user interfaces particular to the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga, and the MLS.
New news screenshots and updates
Two new environments for dynamic negotiation cutscenes to take place in: the restaurant and the rooftop lounge.
You can see the full list of bug fixes and balance changes in the list below, via EA. For more on this year’s game, check out everything we know about FIFA 20’s Ultimate Team, Pro Clubs, or Volta modes. The game launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC–with legacy editions coming to Switch and older platforms–on September 27.
FIFA 20: Career Mode Spot Fixes And Balance Changes
General Improvements
Added an option in the player actions pop-up to add a player to the shortlist and immediately go to the transfer hub with the respective player.
Redesigned Team Management layout to allow for easier player attribute comparison.
Added an option to disable international management job offers at the start of a new career.
Increased the initial Composure attribute values for generated youth players and redistributed weights for player growth between physical, mental and skill attributes to allow for more physical growth.
Improved distribution of ethnicity within a country when generating youth players.
Significantly increased the initial amounts for wage budget allocation.
Increased the player value of defensive players based on the latest transfer market activity.
Fixed multiple issues with leagues that split into play-offs after the end of the regular season.
League objectives are now correctly tracking the play-off instead of the regular season standings. Champions celebrations are triggered at the end of the play-offs.
Improved the algorithm used by AI teams to determine their starting XI. Moving forward you should see far fewer instances in which the opponent isn’t using their prime starting XI in important matches.
Re-adjusted the number of saves to eight, inside Career Mode, to address the feedback received from our players during the ’19 cycle.
Competition Changes
Fixed multiple fixture congestion issues. The winter break roll-out this season, as well as the removal of the FA Cup 5th Round Replay, have improved fixture congestion issues in English leagues. We’ve slightly altered the authentic schedule of the English Championship by pushing its completion to a later date. This ensures that schedule conflict situations between Championship rounds and European football nights aren’t possible. A lot of the congestion issues reported by the community were happening with mid-week league rounds happening at the same time as European football, which, although unlikely in the real world, is a common occurrence in Career Mode.
Added the new format and schedule of the Spanish Supercup.
Added support to round down the points in leagues that split into play-offs and halve the points such as the Austrian Bundesliga.
Updated usage of the fourth substitute in extra time to all competitions that support this new law of the game.
Pokemon Sun and Moon for 3DS introduced Alolan forms to the series–regional-exclusive variants of some older Pokemon that boast a different appearance and typing. The upcoming Sword and Shield for Switch will have their own regional variants as well, and we got a look at a handful of them in the games’ latest trailer.
First is Galarian Weezing, which could very well be this generation’s equivalent of the wonderful Alolan Exeggutor. Galarian Weezing has smokestacks atop its two heads that resemble long top hats, while the smog around its mouths looks like facial hair. You can see the dashing Pokemon for yourself below.
We also got a look at Galarian Zigzagoon and Galarian Linoone. Unlike standard Zigzagoon and Linoone, these forms have black and white fur rather than brown, giving them a distinctly punk aesthetic. Intriguingly, Galarian Linoone is capable of evolving into an entirely new Pokemon named Obstagoon. The official Pokemon website explains that “some regional forms have developed unique Evolutions unseen in any other region,” which suggests that other regional variants may also be capable of evolving into brand-new Pokemon.
Beyond that, the latest trailer revealed an entirely new Gen 8 Pokemon named Morpeko, which appears to be this generation’s adorable Electric rodent Pokemon. Interestingly, Morpeko is able to change between “Full Belly” and “Hangry” modes, the latter of which turns it into a Dark-type and gives it a more menacing appearance. The trailer also introduced two new rival characters named Bede and Marnie, as well as this generation’s villainous team, Team Yell, who appear to be more like hooligans than an actual criminal organization.
Move over, Pikachu. I have a new favorite Pokemon. His name is Morpeko and he is hungry gosh darn it!
Morpeko is a new creature coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield who was revealed in the latest Galar Research Update. It’s described as “a form-changing Pokemon discovered in Galar,” and an electric/dark type. So far, two forms have been revealed for Morpeko: full belly mode and hangry mode, in which he becomes adorably irritable because of a lack of food. In this form, Morpeko’s Aura Wheel move changes from electric type to dark. It’s unclear if the creature has more forms that are yet to be revealed.
It appears Morpeko is based off hamsters or similar rodents, judging by the way it runs in its Aura Wheel. It also bears a slight resemblance to Pikachu–as one new creature typically does in new generations of Pokemon.
Elsewhere in the new Pokemon Sword and Shield trailer, Galarian forms were revealed for Weezing and Zigzagoon. The latter has a new evolution, Obstagoon, which evolves from Galarian Linoone. The trailer also unveiled the games’ new rivals, Bede and Marnie, as well as this generation’s evil team, Team Yell.
The Pokemon Company revealed more details about Pokemon Sword and Shield today in a Galar Research Update. The presentation showed some new Pokemon and variants, but the big reveals were your newest rivals and the new evil team you’ll be taking on.
The rivals are Bede and Marnie. Bede is a boy in a long maroon coat with curly hair. He’s described as a skilled trainer who has joined the Gym Challenge. Marnie is a girl in a leather jacket with a distinctly punk aesthetic. She’s also the ostensible head of Team Yell, a group of hooligans that are called “Marnie’s wild fans.” They’re similarly punk, and an accompanying press release says they try to interfere with other competitors to help Marnie take the championship.
The presentation also showed off several new Pokemon and variants, including a Hangry new Pokemon and the Galar-region version of Weezing in a fancy top hat. It’s fabulous and you can see it below.
The Pokemon Company also recently announced that it will be opening a Pokemon pop-up store in London this October, leading up to the November 15 launch of Sword and Shield. That will house Pokemon merch including some exclusives. We can only hope there’s a Galar Weezing plush.
In March, Disney took control of Fox’s entertainment assets, a deal which meant a number of big movie properties moving over to Disney. These include Marvel titles such the X-Men and Fantastic Four, long-running sci-fi franchises like Alien and Predator, and James Cameron’s Avatar series. Five months down the line, we are starting to get an idea of where Disney’s priorities lie with these inherited properties, and what we can expect more of in the future.
As reported by Variety, during the studio’s quarterly earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that much of the development slate inherited from Fox was being axed. However, two properties that will definitely continue are Avatar and Planet of the Apes. Cameron is currently making several Avatar movies simultaneously–production stared in 2018 and the first of these is due in December 2021, with another three lined up over the coming years. Although is nearly ten years since the first Avatar was released, it was only toppled as the most successful movie of all time last month by Avengers: Endgame, and box office expectations are high for the sequels.
Planet of the Apes was also a hugely successful series for Fox–the recent trilogy grossed a total of $1.6 billion worldwide. However, no further movies in the franchise have been announced to date, and director Matt Reeves has moved over to DC to make the long-awaited The Batman.
As for the Marvel titles, we are unlikely to see any of those for some time. The recent X-Men movie Dark Phoenix was a financial failure, and contributed to an overall loss of $170 million for Fox’s properties this year. In addition, Marvel has now announced its line-up for the next two years and beyond, and they do not include any of the Fox characters.
In related news, Disney has also announced plans to reboot a series of Fox family titles, including Home Alone, Night at the Museum, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. All of these will appear on the studio’s upcoming streaming platform Disney+, which launches in November. In addition, an additional pricing level has been announced for the service, which bundles it with ESPN+, and the ad-supported version of Hulu.
The Pokemon Company has teased “more information” on its upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield titles. The new Galar Research Update will drop today, August 7, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST / 11 PM AET.
We don’t yet know what information could be included in the update–the major details such as the games’ release date and legendaries have already been revealed. It’s possible we could learn more about the games’ evil team, who haven’t been revealed yet, or see some new creatures.
In other news, The Pokemon Company announced its plans for a Pokemon Center pop-up store in London in October. The store will be located in Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush, with further details to be revealed in the coming months.
