Twitch Adds Tools To Help Streamers Deal With Copyright Strikes

Twitch is giving streamers new tools that they can use to better track and address copyright claims made on their content. This should make it more transparent when streamers are dealing with strikes that could result in their accounts being suspended or deleted.

As shared in an email obtained by The Verge, there are a few new tools available to streamers now. One will let them mass-delete previously recorded streams, stopping them from showing up when copyright-holders are looking to flag content and reducing the chance they’ll get a copyright strike. Another tool also lets them view where they stand on current copyright claims more clearly, which should reduce the surprise-bans we’ve seen in the past. Any takedown requests will show up in their inbox on Twitch, and there will be more features aimed at addressing these problems later this year.

Twitch has found itself at the center of controversy involving copyrighted content in the past. Last summer, users began to receive waves of DMCA takedown requests based on old clips they still had archived, and Twitch recommended deleting them to make sure their accounts remained intact.

More recently, Twitch replaced the audio at a Metallica concert during BlizzCon with some non-threatening bells, likely so it wouldn’t get flagged for copyrighted material. The irony here is that this copyrighted material is owned by Metallica, and the group even sued the file-sharing site Napster back in 2000 over copyright concerns surrounding its music.

Twitch has been the king of video game streaming for years, and it doesn’t face much in terms of competition. Micrsoft’s Mixer shut down and big-name streamers it had signed to exclusivity deals mostly headed back to Twitch. Streamers don’t have many viable alternatives, and Twitch’s response to issues hasn’t always been met positively. Back in November, for instance, it apologized for how it handled a wave of DMCA requests but also asked streamers to stop playing any recorded music in the background during streams.

Rainbow Six Siege New Crimson Heist Season Begins

Rainbow Six Siege‘s new season, Crimson Heist, starts today. This also marks the sixth year of content for the ongoing tactical shooter. The operation includes a couple of new weapons and some tweaks, along with a new featured operator.

Crimson Heist introduces a new version of the Border map with quality-of-life improvements, adding a balcony and some other changes to help better fit the modern state of the game. A new GONNE-6 secondary weapon fires an explosive projectile that can destroy bulletproof gadgets.

The operation also introduces Flores, an Attacker class from Argentina who comes equipped with an AR33 or SR-25 as the primary weapon and GSH-18 as the secondary. Flores also has a new gadget called the RCE-Ratero Charge, which lets you drive a little craft across to a remote location before it explodes. Buying the premium battle pass will unlock Flores instantly; otherwise you’ll have to pay with Renown or R6 credits starting on March 30.

Ubisoft has also rolled out a Match Replay beta, letting you watch replays and explore gameplay from different angles, and scrub through the footage to examine what happened. The Newcomer map pool has also been reworked, now consisting of five maps (Coastline, Oregon, Kafe, Bank, and Clubhouse) with a sixth map that will rotate with each season. Each map will also feature the same bomb site for each round, so beginners can focus on familiarizing themselves with the maps.

All that comes alongside changes to drone proximity awareness, the Mute gadget function, and other balancing changes you can find below. Prices for some older operators have also been reduced for the new season.

Rainbow Six Siege Crimson Heist Patch Notes

Balance Changes

MUTE

  • Mute’s Signal Disruptor now disables Claymores and Nomad’s Airjabs.
  • Added the disabled state feedback that was missing for other affected gadgets.

MOZZIE

  • The warning icon that appears when a drone is near one of Mozzie’s Pests now pulses at different speeds depending on the drone’s proximity to the Pest.

BLACKBEARD

  • Reduced Blackbeard’s Rifle-Shield HP to 20 from the previous 50.
  • Reduced Mk17 damage to 40 from the previous 49.

DOKKAEBI

  • Stun Grenades are replacing Frag Grenades.
  • The GONNE-6 is replacing the C75.

FINKA

  • Stun Grenades are replacing Frag Grenades.
  • The GONNE-6 is replacing the GSH-18.

TWITCH

  • Smoke Grenades are replacing Stun Grenades.

KALI

  • Increased CSRX 300 damage to 127 from the previous 122.

G36 RECOIL

  • Improved recoil for G36.

TWEAKS & IMPROVEMENTS

GAME BALANCING

Defuser Priority

  • In Bomb, if the defuser has not been picked up at the end of the Planning Phase, it will be given to the Operator who prioritizes the defuser the most.
  • For example, Thermite will always get the defuser over Ash, given the nature of their respective roles.

Gadget Forced Unlean

  • On PC, activating or equipping a gadget will no longer force the player to unlean.

Situations

  • Progression locks have been added to Situation difficulties.
  • Difficulty of Normal and Hard Situations is reduced.
  • Weapon Attachments have been adjusted.
  • Other quality of life changes have been made.

PLAYER COMFORT

Playlist Parameters Coherence

We’ve made a few changes to the Newcomer and Quick Match playlists so they have similar parameters to Unranked and Ranked, making the differences between those playlists less confusing.

  • Reduced the round duration in the Newcomer and Quick Match playlists to 3 minutes.
  • Increased the defuse and planting time to 7 seconds from the previous 5 seconds for both Newcomer and Quick Match.
  • Added the defuser carrier selection for the Newcomer and Quick Match playlists to empower players who want to carry it and reduce friction among teammates.

Kapkan

  • Improved the deployment of Kapkan’s Entry Denial Device to make it feel more intuitive and reliable.

ADS Toggle

  • Players using the ADS Toggle option are no longer forced back into ADS after performing an action that puts them out of it.

Spectator Mode

  • Added multi-kills feedback and team loadout.

Achievements/Trophies

  • The titles of some achievements/trophies have been updated.

GAME HEALTH

New Voice Actors

  • The Operator voices for IQ and Capitão have been re-recorded with new voice actors. We are thankful to the voice actors who we worked with up to this point, but with the expansion of our Universe content, we needed to make adjustments to our talent lineup to ensure consistency.

Red Ping Support

  • Support for Lion, Alibi, and Jackal’s red ping in Replay/EOR.

Challenges

  • Removed the Ubisoft Connect Daily Challenges. The tile with the trophy icon in the Home section now redirects to Battle Pass Challenges.

Map Rotations

  • Removed map rotations for Quick Match.
  • To increase variety, all maps (except Bartlett U.) are now included in the Quick Match map pool.

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Disneyland Will Reopen California Theme Parks On April 30

After being closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Disneyland Resort in California is set to open once again. Disney has announced that both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will open their gates to visitors on April 30 at reduced capacity. Meanwhile, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is planning to reopen one day earlier on April 29.

With the parks opening come some new restrictions, though. As mentioned above, attendance capacity for Disney’s California parks will be limited. To gain access, guests must both purchase admission to the park and make a reservation through a new system. Due to state guidelines, only citizens of California will be able to access reservations. Details about how the reservation system will work have not been announced and it is not known if park hopping between the two parks will be available.

For now, Disney is bringing back over 10,000 employees as the parks prepare to open. When guests return, those who visit will notice some changes made over the course of the last year. The most noticeable difference is the reimagined Snow White ride in Fantasyland. Per a press release from Disneyland Resort, the new Snow White’s Enchanted Wish “comes alive in dazzling new scenes, including a dancing figure of Snow White joining the dwarfs in their cottage as the scent of a baking pie wafts through the air. Vibrant new shadow projections show the dwarfs as they march off to the mine happily singing ‘Heigh Ho,’ and the new lighting, glittering jewels and shimmering effects make the mine sparkle. Guests then travel through the Queen’s den to see a new library of spell books, glowing potions and bubbling flasks, toward the famous magic mirror. In the end, Snow White and her Prince ride joyfully into a golden sunset to live happily ever after.”

Additionally, Disney still plans to open Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure later in the year. The land was originally meant to launch in July 2020, before the parks closed.

One thing that will be missing when the parks open again are events that draw large crowds, like parades and fireworks shows. Disney says those will return at some point in the future. Character meet and greets, however, will take place in a physically distanced manner. Much like Disney and Universal are doing with their characters at their respective Florida parks, guests will be able to wave to and take selfies with characters from a distance.

If you don’t envision yourself going to Disney’s theme parks anytime in the near future, soon enough they may be coming to you. It was previously reported that a new Disney+ TV series is in the works based on the characters and locations inside Disney’s parks, so at the very least that might tide you over until you feel comfortable going back–though that universe of shows is still a ways off.

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New WandaVision Makeup Line Lets You Create Magical Looks Inspired By Each Decade

The WandaVision x Ulta makeup collection is available now.
The WandaVision x Ulta makeup collection is available now.

Collabs between cosmetics companies and pop culture franchises are becoming a regular occurrence these days; in the past year alone, we’ve seen some stunning makeup collections inspired by Sailor Moon, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and even Baby Yoda. The latest beauty collab comes from Ulta and celebrates the recent Disney+ hit WandaVision with a line of eyeshadows, blushes, lip glosses, gel liners, and more. An official collaboration with Marvel Studios, the WandaVision x Ulta collection features red-themed packaging and focuses on makeup inspired by the various decades WandaVision takes place in, starting with the ’50s and continuing through the ’90s and beyond. The product names are also inspired by the Marvel show, such as “Hexed,” “Distortion,” and “Please Stand By.”

This is quite a large collection, with 15 different products up for purchase on Ulta’s website, and there’s something for pretty much every type of makeup wearer, whether you like dramatic eye looks, lots of glitter, or natural shades. Notably, the WandaVision collection includes an “eyeshadow vault” that comes with three six-shade palettes. The ’50s/’60s palette features matte, dusty cool tone shades, while the ’70s palette includes bronze tones with pops of shimmery purple. Finally, the ’80s/’90s palette has bolder shades ranging from blue to pink and silver. You can get the entire WandaVision Eyeshadow Vault for $20.

As a fan of colorful eye looks, I love this 4-piece gel eyeliner kit that’s inspired by the bright, bold looks of the ’80s: Frequency (black), Static (pink), Haywire (purple), and Distortion (blue). The wing-tip liner duo also lets you more easily achieve a striking cat-eye look. For those who like to shimmer, this liquid eye shadow looks absolutely stunning, and for those who like a dramatic look, there’s even a three-piece lash set to let you capture Wanda’s look from the ’60s.

Finally, I have to shout out my favorite product in the collection, which isn’t makeup at all: a bright red cosmetics bag with a gold zipper and pattern inspired by the WandaVision logo. There’s even a gold logo that references Wanda’s Halloween costume, making this bag an awesome get for makeup-wearing fans of the show. The WandaVision cosmetics bag sells for $16 and would be perfect for storing your makeup at home or taking it on the go. And if you’ve been needing new brushes lately, you could pick up this matching five-piece brush set that comes with its own small red bag (which could fit inside of the larger one). Each brush has a gold handle with a tiny WandaVision logo on it.

You can see the entire WandaVision makeup line exclusively at Ulta. Plus, check out our breakdown of the WandaVision finale, our favorite theories, and why critics of WandaVision are missing the point.

NBA 2K21 PS5 And Xbox Series X|S Patch Updates Player Likenesses And Fixes Bugs

The latest patch is now available for NBA 2K21‘s PS5 and Xbox Series X|S editions. The update improves some of the player likenesses and facial animations, while it also includes a number of fixes for Dark Matter cards in the MyTeam mode. Additionally, players on next-gen systems can look forward to “various general updates” that should improve performance overall.

The player models for more than 30 athletes have been updated to better reflect their real-world appearances as it relates to their likenesses, tattoos, and facial animations. Additionally, the new social space The City has received a spring-themed update to reflect the season that officially begins this weekend.

In terms of bug fixes, this new NBA 2K21 update fixes an issue that could cause names of certain playbooks to vanish mysteriously, while multiple Dark Matter card issues have been fixed. The patch notes also mention stability and performance updates to improve the overall experience.

Finally, the NBA 2K21 next-gen patch notes tease some kind of changes for MyTeam Season 6. The patch notes only state, “Prep work for Season 6 of MyTeam. It’s…peculiar.” It seems we’ll need to wait a little longer to find out what this is all about.

You can see the full NBA 2K21 patch notes below, as posted by 2K on the developer’s website.

NBA 2K21 Next-Gen Patch Notes

  • The City has received an all-new Spring update to help ring in the warmer months! This will be going live starting Thursday.
  • The following players have received likeness, tattoo, and/or signature facial animation updates:
    • Mikal Bridges
    • Jaylen Brown
    • Thomas Bryant
    • Vernon Carey Jr.
    • John Collins
    • James Ennis
    • Malachi Flynn
    • Wenyen Gabriel
    • Daniel Green
    • Tyrese Haliburton
    • Kevin Huerter
    • Cameron Johnson
    • Tre Jones
    • Saben Lee
    • Theo Maledon
    • Terance Mann
    • Juwan Morgan
    • Joakim Noah
    • Jordan Nwora
    • Daniel Oturu
    • Jerome Robinson
    • Isaiah Stewart
    • Tyrell Terry
    • Xavier Tillman
    • Anthony Tolliver
    • Rayjon Tucker
    • T.J. Warren
    • Paul Watson
    • D.J. Wilson
    • Robert Woodard II
  • Resolved an issue that caused the names of some playbooks to disappear.
  • Addressed a rare issue with Dark Matter player cards not displaying the player reveal during pack openings (MyTEAM).
  • Addressed an audio issue with Dark Matter card animations (MyTEAM).
  • Prep work for Season 6 of MyTEAM. It’s…peculiar.
  • Various stability and performance issues have been addressed to further improve the overall experience.

Now Playing: NBA 2K21 Next Gen vs. Current Gen Gameplay Comparison

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Gladiator 2 Could Still Happen, Connie Nielsen Says

A sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 historical epic Gladiator could happen, and now one of the original movie’s stars, Connie Nielsen, has commented on how production is coming along. She told Collider that Scott plans to make the movie … eventually.

“I know that it’s on the ledger, so let’s just see when Ridley–I know he had to do one or two other movies, and then I think it’s on the ledger after that, but I’m not quite sure where it’s at right now,” she said.

As Nielsen said here, Scott has kept very busy. He recently wrapped production on the period drama The Last Duel starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, while he is currently filming the Gucci murder movie with Lady Gaga and Adam Driver. After that, he’s lined up for a Gladiator reunion of sorts with the Napoleon Bonaparte movie starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.

In addition to Gladiator 2, Scott is attached to potentially direct a new version of Queen & Country, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gladiator won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Russell Crowe won Best Actor for his performance, while the film also took home awards for Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. It was nominated for seven additional Academy Awards as well.

The last we heard was that Peter Craig (The Town, Top Gun: Maverick) was writing the script for Gladiator 2 that would follow Lucius, the son of Nielsen’s Lucilla and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus. Whether or not the script has changed over the years is unknown.

Nielsen said it would be “amazing” to play Lucilla again in Gladiator 2. “I know that a lot of people want to see more of that,” she said.

Doctor Strange Star Benedict Cumberbatch On His WandaVision Non-Appearance

The mysterious nature of the recent Marvel show WandaVision provoked lots of fan theories and rumors. One of these was that Doctor Strange might make an appearance in the final episode. He didn’t, but now actor Benedict Cumberbatch has commented on these rumors.

Cumberbatch appeared on The Tonight Show, where host Jimmy Fallon asked Cumberbatch if had anything to say to fans about the issue. Amusingly, Fallon was careful not to specifically say whether Cumberbatch had appeared or not, something the actor played along with in his reply.

“If it didn’t happen, then I am sorry about that,” he said. “If it did, hell, what a lot to look forward to! But if it didn’t, um, I don’t know why.”

The main reason that fans expected a cameo from Stephen Strange was because the events of WandaVision will feed into the upcoming movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is currently shooting in London. Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff, will appear in that movie, and in the Fallon interview, Cumberbatch described it as “a very exciting next step for Wanda.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi, who helmed the 2000s Spider-Man movies as well as the Evil Dead series. Cumberbatch was recently asked about working with Raimi, and described him as an “an incredible force, especially in this genre. But he’s so humble, he’s so nice, he’s so appreciative, you really wanna serve him.”

In related news, it has been reported that Cumberbatch will star in the World War II drama War Magician, in which he plays a real-world illusionist who used magic to beat the Nazis. It’ll be directed by Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow.

Now Playing: 8 Marvel Theories For WandaVision, Falcon And Winter Soldier, Loki

EA Play Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass For PC Tomorrow

Xbox Game Pass PC and Ultimate members will be given access to EA Play on PC starting tomorrow, March 18.

Subscribers will be able to access more than 60 games from EA’s vault, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Squadrons and The Sims 4. Discounts on digital purchases of EA games, game trials and monthly in-game rewards for games like Madden 21 and Apex Legends will also be provided to subscribers.

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The way players will access EA Play on PC has been detailed in this short video. Subscribers will have to sign in to the Xbox app on PC, then they will need to install the EA Desktop app to download their EA Play game of choice. After linking their EA account to their Xbox account, they will then be able to download and play games from the EA library. EA Play previously arrived on consoles for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in November of 2020.

It’s been quite the week for Xbox Game Pass. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Zenimax was officially confirmed, 20 Bethesda titles were brought to the service including Dishonored, Doom and Skyrim. We also learned earlier this week that the upcoming Square Enix shooter Outriders would be coming to Game Pass for console on launch day, that Undertale would hit the service, and that the previously Switch exclusive Octopath Traveler would launch on Xbox through Game Pass.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Minari’s Steven Yeun Teams With Ali Wong For New TV Show

Comedian and actor Ali Wong (Always Be My Maybe, Tuca & Bertie) and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) are co-executive producing a new series, according to Deadline. What’s not yet clear is whether Wong and Yeun will also co-star, but that would be a safe–though still unconfirmed–guess as of this writing.

The untitled series is a dramedy spanning 10 episodes, each 30 minutes in length, and is also being created and showrun by Lee Sung Jin. It’s being billed as a limited series, and Jin’s resume suggests whatever this show actually is, it should be promising and pretty interesting: Jin is co-executive producer on the polarizing but surprisingly vulnerable FXX comedy Dave about a white rapper and has also worked on HBO’s Silicon Valley, FX’s Singularity, and Amazon’s Undone. As if those aren’t enough credits to convey Jin’s prolific nature and great track record, he’s also working on the Showtime pilot Omniverse with Kanye West, Jaden Smith, and Scooter Braun.

The series is being developed with A24, a production company Yeun just worked with on the immigrant drama Minari. Through Minari, Yeun recently made trailblazing Oscars history as the first ever Asian-American Best Actor nominee. More details are likely forthcoming soon, as Deadline is indicating the show is as of only last week being pitched around to different streaming services

This series will also be the first live-action show for Yeun since his character Glenn Rhee was (spoilers ahead) killed off on the long-running series The Walking Dead; it was a role that largely helped Yeun become a household name. On March 26, the actor will star as Mark Grayson in Amazon Prime’s Invincible, another series based on a comic by Robert Kirkman.

Joe Exotic Documentary Coming From Louis Theroux

A Joe Exotic documentary from prolific documentarian Louis Theroux is in development. The BBC has announced that Theroux will produce a feature-length documentary on Joseph Maldonado-Passage AKA Joe Exotic that has the tentative title Louis Theroux: The Cult of Joe Exotic.

Theroux met Exotic 10 years ago when he was making a documentary called Most Dangerous Pets. “Heading back to Oklahoma, Theroux will explore what has happened since, with the big cat man now residing in a federal prison, having been found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot and multiple animal cruelty charges,” reads a line from the description (via THR).

Theroux said the story of Joe Exotic is “one of those quintessentially American stories,” featuring a cast of characters that are almost too larger-than-life to be real.

“I spent eight or nine days filming at the park back in 2011, over the course of three separate visits. I’d forgotten how much we shot until I went back into the footage during lockdown,” the filmmaker said. “It’s extraordinary how much was there. Since then the story just got stranger and bigger, and in going back at the end of last year I uncovered a real-life drama that took me in directions I never could have expected.”

The BBC’s new documentary doesn’t have a release date yet. It’s one of many new projects focused on Joe Exotic in the works–another one for Amazon has Nicolas Cage playing Exotic. In another production, SNL’s Kate McKinnon will play Carole Baskin.

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to every character in Tiger King, ranked in order of how generally terrible they are.