The Mandalorian Is 2020’s Most Pirated Show

In 2020, Disney+ smash hit show The Mandalorian snatched the dubious honor of “most pirated TV show” away from Game of Thrones based on BitTorrent traffic alone. According to TorrentFreak, a publication dedicated to file sharing news, although BitTorrent activity “only makes up a small portion of the piracy landscape,” the Star Wars spin-off series has handily topped the list of most downloaded TV shows last year–however, no numbers were released.

It isn’t exactly a shock that Game of Thrones doesn’t appear even among the top 10 illegally downloaded shows last year–just like the series, its reign in this category came to an end. (It was at the very top back in 2019.) However, TorrentFreak does note that The Mandalorian was in close contention last year, barely beating out Prime Video’s The Boys (which placed second on the list) and HBO’s Westworld (which placed third). The full reported list is below.

  1. The Mandalorian” (Disney+)
  2. The Boys (Amazon Prime Video)
  3. Westworld (HBO)
  4. Vikings (History Channel)
  5. Star Trek: Picard (CBS All Access)
  6. Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
  7. The Walking Dead (AMC)
  8. The Outsider (HBO)
  9. Arrow (The CW)
  10. The Flash (The CW)

While Disney+ is probably hardly thrilled about this distinction, as the lack of numbers here indicate–it and other streaming services on the list should take solace in the fact that many popular streaming sites and services (including the illegal ones) generally do not report its viewing statistics and figures.

Given that there are two new movies, six live-action shows, and three animated series set in the Star Wars universe currently in production–and that Mandalorian Season 3 is on the way— it’s likely we will see Star Wars TV series as mainstay entries on pirated lists for many years to come. Congratulations?

Animal Crossing Adds More Limited-Time New Year’s Items

2021 has officially begun, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons is celebrating the start of the new year with another batch of limited-time items. Seven more New Year’s-themed food items and decorations have been added to the Nook Shopping catalog, but they’ll only be available for a few more days.

Until January 15, you can purchase the following items from the Seasonal tab in the Nook Shopping service:

  • 2021 celebratory arch – 2,021 Bells
  • Olivier salad – 1,000 Bells
  • Zodiac ox figurine – 1,600 Bells
  • Kagamimoci – 1,800 Bells
  • Kadomatsu – 2,580 Bells
  • New Year’s shimekazari – 2,000 Bells
  • Yut Nori – 1,300 Bells

This is the second batch of New Year’s items to be added to the game. Last month, the Nook Shopping catalog featured four New Year’s food items in the lead up to New Year’s Eve, but those are no longer available to purchase.

Although the holidays are over, there are still a few events to look forward to in Animal Crossing this month. The first Fishing Tourney of the year takes place this Saturday, January 9, for players with Northern Hemisphere islands. You also still have a few more days to build snowboys, catch snowflakes, and learn festive DIY recipes.

Nintendo is rolling out another content update for New Horizons later this month. While the company has yet to share any details about the new patch, it appears the Festivale event will be added as part of the update. Nintendo will also be introducing a line of Mario-themed furniture to the game this March to celebrate the Super Mario series’ 35th anniversary.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Battleborn Dev Reflects On Impending Server Shutdown — “I’m Really Heartbroken”

Borderlands developer Gearbox’s 2016 shooter Battleborn is shutting down soon, with servers scheduled to go offline on January 25. Battleborn is an online-only game, so the title will be completely unplayable after the servers go dark. One developer who worked on the game, Aaron Linde, has now written an impassioned statement about what the game meant to them and more.

“Battleborn’s servers are going dark in just a few weeks. When they do, it’ll be like the game never existed at all. All the work and love and blood that went into that game will disappear with it and I’m really heartbroken about it,” Linde said on Twitter.

Linde went on to say, “I’m grateful for every person that ever told me that the game meant something to them. For every line I had repeated back to me. I hope something of it lives on in your memories like it will in mine (and in the pile of VO that I keep backed up in three different places).”

The developer, who was the lead writer on Battleborn, said they were happy to build a “weird, wild, bizarre universe” with the game.

“Building such a weird, wild, bizarre universe with and all of my wonderful colleagues at Gearbox was just about the best experience I could’ve asked for creating a new IP. I miss and love you all,” Linde said.

Linde is now a lead narrative designer at Halo studio 343 Industries. The developer ended their message about Battleborn by making a promise to make another “weird” game someday.

“I’m swearing a blood oath to myself now that, one day, god damn it, I’ll make something as weird, and personal, and idiosyncratic as Battleborn again,” Linde said.

Anyone who has an allotment of virtual currency for Battleborn can continue to spend it until the servers go offline. Players can continue to earn this currency through gameplay, but it can no longer be purchased with real money.

Before Battleborn’s release, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said the developer invested more in the game than any other project before. “We’ve invested more than Borderlands 1 and 2 added together into Battleborn,” he said at the time. “And we don’t even know if people will be interested or not.”

Gearbox’s latest game was 2019’s Borderlands 3, and it was a huge success, becoming publisher 2K’s fastest-selling game ever. Gearbox also publishes other developer’s games, most recently putting out the PS5/PC game Godfall from Counterplay Games.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Runescape Turns 20 Years Old Today

Developer Jagex’s long-running MMO RuneScape has hit a milestone that contemporaries such as World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV have yet to achieve. Having launched on January 4 all the way back in 2001, RuneScape is officially 20 years old today and continues to still draw a sizeable crowd to its servers.

With the game having been played for 7306 days across 300 million player accounts, RuneScape saw impressive growth in 2020 with a record 1.2 million users subscribing and millions of other players trying the game out in its free-to-play form.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, players will be able to participate in the Grand Party, a birthday event that has its own series of associated questlines and includes the return of iconic RuneScape characters such as the Wise Old Man and the Sandwich Lady. Players can also unlock a fancy new cape and armor.

Fancy RuneScape cape.
Fancy RuneScape cape.

“20 years is a massive milestone for Jagex and the games, and I thank our players for being on this incredible journey with us,” Jagex boss Phil Mansell said.

“RuneScape has come a long way since 2001 when it was launched by a small team of visionary game developers. As we continue to make the RuneScape universe more accessible to more players all over the world, we’ll celebrate throughout 2021 with one of the most content-rich years for the games ever.”

2021 will also see the launch of RuneScape for iPhone and Android devices. Announced back in 2017, this version of RuneScape will include crossplay functionality with the PC version of the MMO.

Now Playing: RuneScape – The Golden City of Menaphos Cinematic Trailer

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Zelda: Breath Of The Wild NPCs Are Reportedly Advanced Miis, Modder Discovers How To Insert New Ones

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild appears to use a modified version of the Mii character creator for its NPCs, and clever modders have even found a way to insert their own Mii files into Hyrule.

Eurogamer reports that dataminer HEYimHeroic discovered the files, which are referred to as “UMii”s in the Breath of the Wild code. The UMiis use facial components from the classic Mii designs, albeit with a greater level of detail and some stylistic touches to make them match the Breath of the Wild art style. UMiis do lack some features from their Wii/3DS counterparts, like moles and certain hair designs.

The discovery quickly led to the realization that modders can inject their own custom Mii designs into Breath of the Wild. That goes for many human and Hylian characters, but not the more distinct and less humanoid races like Gorons.

Main characters are bespoke designs that can’t be replaced via UMii editing. Still, it’s a neat way to inject some fresh faces into the Nintendo Switch classic, if you want your customized NPC to have a brush with the legendary hero.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Fallout, Elder Scrolls Company Files Trademark For Something Called “Hi-Fi Rush”

ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda which is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft, has filed a trademark application for what could be a new game.

On December 21, 2020, ZeniMax filed a trademark for something called “Hi-Fi Rush.” The description states that it could be “mobile application software” with online capabilities. The trademark filing also mentions PC and consoles. However, there are no further details on what the game might be, if it even is a game.

ZeniMax/Bethesda has yet to officially announce a project called Hi-Fi Rush, and its existence in a trademark filing does not guarantee it will ever become a product. That being said, sometimes trademark filings can point to future releases. As an example, ZeniMax filed the trademark for Starfield back in 2013 before the game was eventually announced at E3 in 2018.

Whatever the case, 2021 is expected to be a very important year for ZeniMax/Bethesda. Microsoft’s deal to acquire the company is expected to close in the second half of Microsoft’s fiscal year, after which we may finally learn more about the company’s future pipeline, including The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield, and whatever else the developer may be cooking up.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said that he cannot legally discuss the future for Bethesda’s games until Microsoft’s deal closes.

The $7.5 billion that Microsoft paid to acquire Bethesda represents the second-largest gaming acquisition in history, only behind Tencent’s $8.6 billion acquisition of Clash of Clans developer Supercell.

A big question many have about future Bethesda games is if they will be released on consoles and platforms that rival Microsoft’s. Spencer has said the deals that were already in place for games that have been announced will be honored, but the future is less certain. Publishing arrangements for specific titles will be determined on a case-by-case basis, Spencer has stated.

Now Playing: Microsoft Acquires Bethesda – GS News Update

Hitman 3 Shrinks Its Install Size With The Previous Games’ Levels

With destinations stretching across the globe, IO Interactive’s Hitman series has become a massive collection of scenic locales to explore. Hitman 3 will add even more locations to the experience, ranging from a massive skyscraper in Dubai through to a stately manor in England.

If you’re planning to install the entire world of assassination onto your PC or console, the good news is that the entire trilogy will take up less space than Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War or Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond‘s mind-boggling 177GB installation size. This will make the entire trilogy smaller than Hitman 2 on Steam, with the 2016 Hitman content included.

“All three games with all content will take up around 100GB,” an IO Interactive developer explained on ResetEra. “Biggest wins are because of data management and file structures and how we deliver the game so we could remove duplicate data. We also use newer and better compression for textures – that helps too.”

It’s also worth noting that if you own the previous two games, you’ll be able to import them into Hitman 3 and receive all the latest improvements to those levels.

Another part of the game engine that has been upgraded, which will also be backwards compatible with the previous two games, are screenspace reflections that create more realistic and subtle reflections through wet floor surfaces. Some of this technology has already been glimpsed in Hitman 3’s Chongqing level, a Chinese transportation hub that is constantly illuminated by neon lighting.

As an example of screenspace reflection technology, the Paris fashion show catwalk floor from 2016’s Hitman is now capable of fully reflecting the models and the rest of the room. Game Informer also revealed the first five minutes of Hitman 3’s Dubai level, which trades ingenious murder techniques for scenic pans of the impressive skyscraper level. You can see that brief walkthrough below:

Hitman 3 launches on January 20 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Stadia, and Nintendo Switch through cloud gaming. It’ll also be available on PC through the Epic Games Store as a timed exclusive.

Now Playing: 10 Biggest Game Installs Of All Time

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Wonder Woman 1984 Soars Past $118 Million At Box Office

Warner Bros. has announced the second-weekend box office results for Wonder Woman 1984. The Gal Gadot-starring superhero movie made a further $5.5 million in North America over the weekend, which is down 67 percent compared to its first-weekend numbers.

With the $5.5 million, Wonder Woman 1984 has now made $28.5 million in the US and Canada. Deadline, which supplied the numbers, suggested that the big drop-off in ticket sales for the second weekend is partially attributed to people realizing they can stream the movie at home on HBO Max, and spend less to do so compared to buying tickets for a whole family. Deadline also noted that Wonder Woman 1984’s B+ CinemaScore rating might have contributed to a bigger downturn in ticket sales than expected.

Box office results are always front-loaded, so a drop-off in ticket sales across the US and Canada was expected to some degree. Many theatres remain closed or scaled down–60% of US theatres are closed, Deadline said–and people may be generally less inclined to visit a cinema even if it is open due to the health crisis. All of this is contributing to some of the lowest box office results ever for major movies in the past year.

Wonder Woman 1984 is also available to stream at home through HBO Max, but Warner Bros. has yet to provide any information on streaming numbers for the film or what impact its release has had on subscriber numbers. Wonder Woman 1984 will leave HBO Max later this month.

Wonder Woman 1984 has now made $118.5 million worldwide. Analysts told Deadline that the Patty Jenkins-directed film may finish with around $40 million in the US and Canada.

Given the strong start for Wonder Woman 1984, amidst the conditions and environment, Warner Bros. is fast-tracking the third entry in the trilogy. Gadot will reprise her starring role, while Jenkins is also slated to return to direct the film.

Wonder Woman 1984 was the first of WB’s new films that released simultaneously in theatres and on HBO Max, but it won’t be the last–all of WB’s film releases in 2021 will screen in theatres and at home. This includes The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and the new Dune film with a gigantic cast of huge names.

Now Playing: Wonder Woman 1984 Review: Even Better Than The Original

Microsoft Argues Xbox Drift Lawsuit Isn’t Allowed, Should Go To Arbitration

Microsoft has requested a class-action lawsuit over malfunctioning Xbox controller go to arbitration. In fact, the filing issued to a Washington court claims that Xbox users have already agreed to use arbitration through the Microsoft Services Agreement.

VGC reports that in the motion, Microsoft says users consent to its services agreement simply by using Xbox controllers and Xbox Live, and according to that agreement, such a class-action suit is not permitted.

“Plaintiffs repeatedly agreed not to bring a lawsuit like this in court,” the company’s filing states. “Instead, they assented to the Microsoft Services Agreement and to warranty agreements in which they promised they would arbitrate disputes on an individual basis using a consumer-friendly process before the American Arbitration Association. The Federal Arbitration Act requires enforcing these agreements.”

Arbitration would require each dispute handled individually by an arbitrator, whereas a class-action suit combines several users’ claims together into a single legal proceeding.

The lawsuit was originally filed in April, claiming Microsoft didn’t disclose drift issues with Xbox One controllers, including the pricey Elite model. In October the suit was amended to include both the Elite Series 1 and 2 controllers. Each of these controllers are forward-compatible with the new Xbox Series X and Series S, though the suit has not yet amended the new controllers included with those systems.

This is similar to litigation faced by Nintendo, which has been facing ongoing complaints regarding drift in its Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers.

Valve Reveals The Top-Selling Games Of 2020 On Steam

As part of Steam’s “Best of 2020” extravaganza, Valve has announced the highest-grossing games on the platform by revenue, and there are few surprises.

Valve did not provide any specific revenue numbers, nor did it rank any of the games in order of how much they sold, but the company did categorize the games into Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers, presumably based on the gross revenues.

Games in the Platinum category include Valve’s own free-to-play games CS: GO and Dota 2, which make money from microtransactions. Other games that made the cut for Platinum include Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny 2, Fall Guys, PUBG, Doom Eternal, Monster Hunter World, Among Us, Cyberpunk 2077, and Rainbow Six Siege.

Rockstar’s enduringly popular Grand Theft Auto V also made it onto the Platinum list, which is an especially noteworthy achievement given that the game was released on PC back in 2015.

Games in the Gold category for sales in 2020 included Borderlands 3, The Elder Scrolls Online, Civilization VI, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Phasmophobia, Sea of Thieves, Ark, Warframe, Crusader Kings III, Dead by Daylight, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Mount & Blade III: Bannerlord.

Steam’s Top-Grossing Games Of 2020

(Alphabetical order)

Platinum

  • Among Us
  • CS: GO
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Destiny 2
  • Doom Eternal
  • Dota 2
  • Fall Guys
  • Monster Hunter World
  • PUBG
  • Rainbow Six Siege
  • Red Dead Redemption 2

Gold

  • Ark
  • Baldur’s Gate 3
  • Borderlands 3
  • Civilization VI
  • Crusader Kings III
  • Dead by Daylight
  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection
  • Mount & Blade III: Bannerlord
  • Phasmophobia
  • Sea of Thieves
  • The Elder Scrolls Online
  • Warframe

You can see a full breakdown of Steam’s top-grossing games of 2020 here.

In other news about Steam, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 was named Steam’s Game of the Year for 2020, with Valve’s own Half-Life: Alyx picking up the VR Game of the Year award. Here at GameSpot we enjoyed Half-Life: Alyx quite a lot as well, awarding it our own Game of the Year.

And if you’re looking for a deal, Steam’s latest Winter Sale is now live and ending soon–and it’s offering some fantastic offers on a wide range of games.

Now Playing: Cyberpunk 2077 Review