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For the first time in the game’s 14-year history, Valve’s hero shooter Team Fortress 2 has managed to surpass 150,000 concurrent players on PC.

According to stats reported by SteamDB and the site’s creator, Pavel Djundik, Team Fortress 2 amassed 151, 253 players on Friday, June 25. This is the all-time peak for Team Fortress 2, which originally launched in 2007. As of this writing, the game currently has a little under 120,000 players currently active, with a 24-hour peak of approximately 140,000 players.

It’s possible that some players were bots, as Valve has been battling them for years. In a June 22 update for Team Fortress 2, Valve outlined tweaks to curb bot activity, particularly around name changing and player emulation. Still, according to Game Rant, players have reported that bots are once again causing trouble.

Over on the game’s subreddit, Team Fortress 2 players have posted photos and videos of bots running amok. Though there is a decrease in activity, players have found whole servers populated by bots.

“Seeing the hell of the TF2 bot crisis, I just want to remind players that each bot you vote to kick, each round you join after being kicked by bots, each day you continue to play even though the bots continue to fight helps TF2,” Redditor fireballcat123 said. “Without you, servers would be dominated by bots and no one could join, killing the game. Just wanted to say that because why not.”

Actor John Lithgow will be revisiting his role as the Trinity Killer in the upcoming Dexter revival season, according to Deadline. It’s also being reported that Lithgow will “only film for about a day or so,” which, if true, indicates the character’s return will not command a sizable amount of screen time.

Even if that proves to be the case, regardless, it’s safe to assume Trinity Killer’s presence will be pretty impactful in the next batch of episodes. In the show’s previous run, Lithgow’s character loomed as a revered, feared, and twisted father figure for the titular character’s serial killer trying to make peace with his demons. Deadline is also reporting Lithgow’s filming will take place next week, which means it’s reasonable for further details–including, for example, a longer shoot than initially reported–to come out after the fact.

Filming for the Dexter revival first got underway in Boston back in January. These upcoming 10 episodes, set in upstate New York, are intended to give a proper sendoff to the series. All that’s known is that these episodes will not retcon everything that happened in the series’ previous 2013 finale, which moved forward without showrunner Clyde Phillips’ involvement. Phillips recently said he doesn’t want fans to think of this as Dexter Season 9.

Joining Michael C. Hall (who plays antihero Dexter) and Clancy Brown (who will be playing the new main villain)–also known as Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob–will be Julia Jones (The Mandalorian), Alano Miller (Sylvie’s Love), Johnny Sequoyah (Believe), and Jack Alcott (The Good Lord Bird). Thanks to a new teaser that was released back in April, we know that the Dexter revival will hit Showtime sometime later this year.

Nier Reincarnation has been out in Japan for a while now, but we now know when the game will be playable in several other territories, including North America and Europe. The mobile game will be available for free on iOS and Android devices on July 28, and will offer in-app purchases.

Additionally, the number of pre-registrations that players notch before the game’s release in July will have an impact on all players. The game has already received over 400,000 registrations, but if it reaches 600,000, all players will receive enough gems to complete several summons for free, as well as other valuable materials.

The press release announcing this date also notes that Nier Replicant, the “re-telling” of the original Nier, has sold and shipped more than one million copies combined. Nier Replicant is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In GameSpot’s Nier Replicant review, critic Michael Higham praised the game’s story as highly moving, though he noted that some aspects of the game seem dated today.

“I’m not going to lie, Nier Replicant made me ugly-cry on several occasions,” he wrote. “Kainé, Emil, and Weiss will win your heart with their earnest and endearing personalities, making their tragic journey with you and tremendous story moments hit hard. Despite some significant gameplay enhancements, the lengths you have to go to see the story all the way through will be a test of your willpower. But for all its antiquated designs retained from the original version, it’s worth the effort in the end. Thus, Nier Replicant is essential for anyone who has love for Automata, and it’s a special experience on its own.”

It’s a new week, and that means Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops Cold War are being refreshed yet again with new playlists and store bundles. Activision ran through all the updates in a blog post, and we’re breaking out the key takeaways here.

New Playlists

In Black Ops Cold War, a new playlist called Collateral Combined Arms 24/7 is coming to the game that offers up the 12v12 mode all-day long so you can play it to your heart’s content.

Another new playlist this week is Throwback Moshpit, which features five Black Ops maps: Nuketown ’84, Raid, Express, Standoff, and Hijacked in 6v6 modes. There is also the Gunfight 3v3 Snipers mode which will become the new featured playlist.

Double XP

Both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will offer double XP this coming weekend to celebrate the 4th of the July in the US. The double XP event, which applies to both standard progression XP and weapon XP, will run July 2-July 6.

New Zombies Teasers

Activision said players should keep their eyes peeled for teasers for the new Zombies content coming to Black Ops Cold War in the upcoming mid-season update. The headliner is the new Mauer der Toten round-based map, which extends the ongoing Dark Aether story. These teasers will be posted to Treyarch’s social media pages.

New Store Bundles

Activision is giving fans more new content to purchase, including the Hat Trick bundle, which celebrates the ongoing European football tournament. This bundle comes with soccer-themed Operator skins, as well as the “Footballer” SMG and the “On Target” reticle, among other items.

The newest tracer pack, Salah, is also coming this week. It includes the new Liaison skin for Salah, along with the Viperstrike assault rifle and the Sudden Bite tactical rifle. Both emit green tracer fire and have a snake-like design. The Komodo Dragon finishing move is also included with this bundle, and we can only imagine how brutal it might be.

And to celebrate the 4th of July, a new tracer pack called Fireworks is headed to the store. It includes 10 items in all, including the Life Guard skin for Adler that gives him stars and stripes clothing. It also comes with the Firework charm, the Spangled Banner sticker, and the Blasting Star assault rifle.

Call of Duty Mobile

Call of Duty Mobile gets some attention this week, too, as Activision is releasing the Call of Duty Endowment Challenger Pack DLC to help support military veterans. The bundle comes with Epic-rarity items such as The Stripe assault rifle, the Standard Issue pistol, the In Reverence calling card, and the Noble Sacrifice charm.

Best Buy’s newest Razer deal is live at an opportune time. Through July 4, you can pick up the Razer Basilisk wireless gaming mouse for $130 and get a $50 of Steam gift card for free with your purchase. Considering the Steam Summer Sale kicked off last week, you likely won’t have a hard time finding some games to snag with the Steam credit.

$130 (was $220)

The Razer Basilisk wireless gaming mouse normally goes for $170, so you’re already saving $40 on the mouse. Overall, you’re getting a savings of $90. Plus, if you buy games during the Steam Summer Sale, you’ll get even more bang for your buck with the $50 Steam gift card. This is an all-around great deal.

The Steam credit appears to be an actual physical card, so you will have to wait until the mouse arrives to use the credit. You should have it in plenty of time to shop the Steam Summer Sale (which ends July 8). In the meantime, make sure to check out our roundups of the best Steam Summer Sale deals and best Steam Summer Sale deals under $10.

The Fast and Furious cast has more than a few reasons to celebrate. One being they have the highest opening weekend since 2019, and of course, the recent announcement that Fast 10 parts one and two will start filming in the new year.

“I think what feels best is just the idea that people are returning to the theatrical experience, Diesel told Variety. “It feels good to say, ‘cinema is back’.”

“You can’t fault another studio for wanting to stream a movie,” Diesel continued. “But the ones like Universal are bold enough to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to support the theatrical release’. I take my hat off to them.”

Oscar-winner Theron, who is making her return to the franchise, said how perfect this movie was to come back to theaters for. “It’s amazing. Just thinking about the fact that they’re on their ninth movie, that’s pretty impressive. It’s a perfect movie to help us come back.”

The franchise started in 2001 with The Fast and The Furious revolving around speed racing and eventually evolved into a full-blown superhero franchise with its own spin-off series with Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson. The recent installment, F9: The Fast Saga, took in $70 million in its opening weekend. In total, the franchise has brought in $1.7 billion domestically, $6.2 billion worldwide, and ranks 15th in all-time franchise earnings when adjusted for inflation.

Dante from the Devil May Cry series and Dovakhiin from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim have finally joined the fight in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, although only as costumes for the Mii Fighter character.

The latest Mr. Sakurai Presents video went live today and in traditional Mr. Sakurai fashion, it featured the game’s director, Masahiro Sakurai, breaking down the moveset, character presentation, and inspiration for the latest fighter joining the game’s roster.

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Today’s showcased fighter was Kazuya from the Tekken series, who will join the roster tomorrow.

However, as is tradition, Sakurai also revealed the latest Mii Fighter costumes coming to the game and that’s where it was announced that both Dante and Dovakhiin would be added to the game as costumes. They will cost 75 cents and will be available for purchase starting tomorrow.

Shantae and Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia were revealed as Mii Fighter costumes as well, as you can see in the trailer above. Sometimes, songs associated with these costumes will be released and available for purchase to use in the game. Despite songs for Lloyd, Dante, and Dovakhiin playing in the trailer, only Shantae will have a song available for purchase.

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Today’s announcement is probably exciting for some and disappointing for some. That’s because at least in Dante’s case, it’s been heavily rumored for months, if not years, that he’d be joining the game as a full-on fighter.

Now, these rumors weren’t necessarily based in any concrete evidence, but some in the Smash Bros. community had long speculated Dante’s arrival to the game. Alas, his arrival as a Mii Fighter costume essentially knocks him out of the running to become an actual fighter in the game.

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On the other hand, those who were not as excited about the potential of Dante coming to the game — especially in light of the fact that only one more fighter will be released following Kazuya — are probably feeling better now that they essentially know the final fighter won’t be Dante.

Who that final fighter is, though, remains unknown. Kazuya was just revealed during Nintendo’s E3 2021 Direct so it will likely be at least a few months until we learn who’s rounding out the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.

While waiting for that announcement, check out today’s news that Tekken’s Kazuya will hit the game tomorrow and then check out the full Nintendo E3 2021 Direct where Kazuya was officially revealed. Check out this quick showcase of Kazuya’s moveset after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Activision has won a lawsuit filed against it by famed WWE wrestler, Booker T. Huffman, who claimed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 character, Prophet, was modeled after a portryal of Huffman’s own G.I. Bro character.

WWE Hall of Famer, Huffman, filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against Activision back in 2019 in response to a character poster for Prophet released by Activision. Huffman claimed that the Prophet model was based on a G.I. Bro poster, thus infringing on his copyright of the character, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

The jury for the case unanimoulsy agreed that Activision did not infringe upon Huffman’s copyright in the G.I. Bro poster on June 24, according to official court records of the jury’s verdict form.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Activision argued in court that Huffman failed to present enough evidence to support his claim of copyright infringement, citing that the wrestler did “not own the idea of an angry man with a scowling look.” Activision said this in response to Huffman’s claim that G.I. Bro’s facial expression and attitude were unique to that character.

When Huffman filed the lawsuit in 2019, he told the court that “he conceived a character like his wrestling personality who would be a retired special operations soldier, fighting an old enemy he thought he had finished off years before, with the support of his old military friends,” according to a 2019 GamesIndustry.biz report.

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He also said that there was “no question [Prophet] was copied from G.I. Bro,” according to GamesIndustry.biz, going as far as to say that Activision copied G.I. Bro’s hair, body type, clothing, and facial expressions. He called the similarities “too profound to be an accident.”

Activision, however, said Prophet couldn’t have been modeled after Huffman because Prophet was actually modeled after Dwayne Johnson from the neck down.

For more about Call of Duty, check out this list of every IGN Call of Duty review and then read about how Call of Duty: Warzone’s most-hated skin finally received a proper nerf. Check out this story about how this year’s new Call of Duty is reportedly called Vanguard and set in World War 2.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Developer Respawn seems to have plans in store for Wattson, one of the more dominant playable characters in Apex Legends. It looks like the studio wants to change how it feels to play as the static defender.

“[Wattson] outperforms Wraith and Lifeline in winrate (and they have very similar hitboxes to her),” Respawn lead game designer Daniel Klein tweeted in response to a comment that Wattson’s abilities are easy to counter. “What is true, I feel, is that her abilities aren’t fun to use, and their power isn’t felt. We can measure the power in games won; we cannot measure how it feels.”

Wattson fits into Apex Legends’ meta in a similar capacity to Crypto and Rampart, in that her abilities are geared towards preparation, not reaction. Wattson, Crypto, and Rampart excel at using their abilities to prepare for the fight to come, not jumping into the fray like the other 14 characters.

Crypto and Rampart break the mold a little bit with their offensive ultimate abilities, which can be used in the midst of a fight to deal damage. But not Wattson. She is the game’s only pure defender, with abilities entirely geared towards bunkering down and letting an enemy squad waste their resources before finishing them off.

In comparison to the other legends in the game, this means Wattson can be seen as a selfless legend who’s only there to help her team win, not rack up kills. So it can feel like she’s a weak link despite actually being a dominant force, and for folks who like joining their teammates on pushing on fights and getting lots of kills, playing as Wattson can feel not as fun.

Respawn tried to amend this in Season 8’s Chaos Theory event, introducing a new “selfish” passive ability for Wattson that allows her to recharge her shields outside of combat. However, it sounds like Respawn wants to go a little bit further in the future.

“So obviously we’ve got work scheduled on [Wattson], but no ETA yet,” Klein tweeted. “That work won’t be a buff though; it’ll likely need to include a nerf so we can ship it without warping the game.”

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, but this sounds like Respawn is planning on transforming Wattson into a somewhat different character, nerfing her existing abilities to then give her something new to do that feels more fun.

I hope I’m wrong. Though it is easier to have a good time in Apex Legends with the other characters–they’re abilities make it easier to get kills, pull off incredible escapes, and finish off wounded targets–there’s a deep sense of satisfaction in learning a map’s layout and then using that knowledge to erect makeshift bunkers with Wattson’s Perimeter Security and Interception Pylon, relying on pre-planning to win the match. It’s a sense of fun that’s harder to achieve, but a welcome chance to enjoy Apex Legends in a different way.

Wattson is Apex Legends’ best character for players who want to win via brain, not brawn–Apex Legends’ meta deserves to have at least one character that really embodies that playstyle. As Wattson says, “Sometimes, careful planning wins out over might.” Her character will lose something if Respawn amplifies the feeling of might that she has.

Xbox Cloud Gaming’s open beta is officially live now. To mark the occasion, Microsoft has given Xbox Cloud Gaming a big hardware boost: its cloud streaming service will run on Xbox Series X hardware, meaning that the games should be able to achieve higher graphical quality and performance.

The Cloud Gaming beta is now widely available for use across iOS devices, Windows 10 PCs, MacOS computers, and Android devices. It’s available to anyone who subscribes to Game Pass Ultimate. On Windows PCs, you can boot up Cloud Gaming through the Edge or Google Chrome browsers (other Chromium-based browsers appear to work too; I ran it through Brave). Users on iOS devices will have to go through their Safari browser as a result of Apple policies. In addition, it works on MacOS through Safari, Edge, and Chromium browsers.

Microsoft has also fully upgraded its behind-the-scenes tech so that Cloud Gaming now runs on Xbox Series X hardware, custom-built for game streaming. The company states that this will allow for faster loads and better performance. However, it is still capping game streams at 1080p and 60fps for the moment “to ensure the lowest latency, highest quality experience across the broadest set of devices,” according to its press release.

If you want to check out Xbox Cloud Gaming yourself, you can go to xbox.com/play. If you’re not already a member of Game Pass, be sure to take advantage of a limited-time offer that gets you your first three months for $1 USD.