A new exploit in the PC version of Grand Theft Auto Online is causing players to lose game progress and in-game currency, with some accounts becoming corrupted or banned. The exploit, a “remote code execution,” was distributed through the developer of the North Online GTA cheat mod.

The exploit can reportedly impact anyone, not just players in the same multiplayer lobby as the attacker, according toBleepingComputer. That means anyone currently online and playing the game on PC is at least theoretically vulnerable to attack. (Console players are unaffected.) Engadget reached out to Rockstar for comment, and we will update this article if we hear back.

The company tweeted this acknowledgment of the fiasco on Monday.

North's developer removed the abusive elements on January 21st and apologized (their changelog read “bad judgement on my part for adding this public.”) Although GTA Online doesn’t block harmless community-created mods, those distributing cheats or other hacks tilting the game’s competitive balance may face real-world consequences. Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive have previously taken legal action against cheat makers, including the creator of an infinite-money hack who was ordered to pay $150,000 plus attorney fees in 2019.

A workaround for corrupted accounts, which some players have claimed works, is to delete the “Rockstar Games” folder from the Windows Documents folder before reloading the game. However, we recommend avoiding the PC version until Rockstar cleans things up.

Quordle, a Wordle-style word game, has a fitting new owner in the shape of Merriam-Webster. The game's URL now redirects to a page on the company's website, as TechCrunch spotted. The Merriam-Webster logo appears at the top of the page too.

"I'm delighted to announce that Quordle was acquired by Merriam-Webster! I can't think of a better home for this game," Quordle creator Freddie Meyer wrote in a message on the game's help tab. "Lots of new features and fun to come, so stay tuned!"

Quordle is a supercharged version of Wordle. Instead of giving folks six guesses to find a single five-letter word, Quordle challenges players to simultaneously figure out four of them in nine guesses or fewer. The color-coded approach is the same. If a letter is the correct place, it turns green, and if it's elsewhere in a given word, it turns yellow. As with Wordle, there's one daily batch of four words.

Merriam-Webster scooped up Quordle a year after Wordle took the world by storm and got snapped up by The New York Times. Heardle, a music-themed clone, also has an apt owner after Spotify bought it last summer.

Some players (hi) have been annoyed by Quordle reusing certain words. On a few occasions, the same word has popped up two days in a row. With a dictionary company now in charge, here's hoping Quordle will freshen things up.

It's been over 12 years since Tron: Legacy debuted and those who've been longing for a third entry in the classic sci-fi series may have wished for it on a monkey's paw. Tron: Ares, as the film may be called, could start filming this August with Jared Leto, ol' Morbius himself, reportedly set to star. Joachim Rønning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) is in talks to direct, according to Deadline.

As Variety notes, Leto first signed on back in 2017, but Disney has had a third movie on the backburner since long before then. Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski (who went on to make Top Gun: Maverick) said in an interview that he wrote and storyboarded a sequel "that takes place on the internet with Yahoo and Google and all those sites." Kosinski said he was close to moving forward with it in 2015 but suggested Disney "pulled the plug" as it had bigger, Marvel- and Star Wars-sized fish to focus on.

This time around, Tron: Ares could finally be happening. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Daft Punk will return to deliver another banger of a score. The iconic duo split up in 2021.

Sega has at last revealed when folks will be able to snap up Endless Dungeon. The action-packed game is coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on May 18th. A Nintendo Switch version will be available later.

Endless Dungeon, from developer Amplitude Studios, was previously slated for a 2022 debut. It's a squad-based blend of a tower defense game and a twin-stick shooter. Players are tasked with both protecting a so-called crystal bot and progressing further into a dungeon.

You can team up with three friends or go it alone and control three characters by yourself (you'll have direct control over one and bark orders at the other two). Endless Dungeon is a roguelite, so you'll gradually unlock persistent upgrades, weapons and characters.

Alongside the release date announcement, Sega opened up pre-orders for most platforms. You'll get early access two days before the official launch, as well as some extra goodies, by pre-ordering the “Last Wish” digital edition. A physical Day One edition with a card game and art book is available too. Sega also released a new trailer which shows some more chaotic gameplay:

Twitter is now offering a yearly discount on its Blue subscription service, according to a new support page spotted by The Verge. Web users can now sign up for $84 per year ($7 per month) and save a buck over the monthly $8 price. Similar discounts are available in other countries that offer Twitter Blue, including the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. 

Until now, Twitter Blue users only had the option of an $8 per month subscription via the web, or $11 month on iOS (passing Apple's 30 percent fee onto the user). However, iOS users can still sign up on the web to save the extra $3. In that case, the new yearly subscription would save them 36 percent compared to signing up directly on iOS. 

A Twitter Blue subscription offers a number of perks, including a blue "verified" checkmark, higher ranking replies, 60-minute video uploads and more. Users can also undo and edit tweets, customize app icons, themes and navigations, bookmark tweets and more. You'll need a phone number to sign up, and Twitter is supposed to verify your account to assure it's not fraudulent or fake — something it failed at recently. 

The Elon Musk-owned social media network seems to need as many subscriptions as possible. According to a recent report on The Information, more than 500 of Twitter's advertisers have paused spending on the site, and daily revenue on January 17th was down 40 percent compared to last year. 

In the first quarter of 2022 before Musk's acquisition was finalized, Twitter reported sales of $1.2 billion, with $1.1 billion of that in advertising, and subscriptions (plus other revenue) making up the rest. 

If you enjoyed HBO's take on The Last of Us, you're far from alone. WarnerMedia has revealed that the video game adaptation racked up 4.7 million viewers on conventional and streaming TV for its January 15th premiere, making it HBO's third largest debut of the streaming era. Only the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon rated higher with a crowd topping 9.9 million, and Boardwalk Empire's 4.81 million-viewer launch from 2010 (when HBO Go arrived) was only slightly stronger.

The Last of Us "nearly doubled" the audience for Euphoria's season two opener, WarnerMedia says. While it's not yet clear how well the game series will fare in the long term, the company notes that Sunday night viewing for an HBO show tends to account for 20 to 40 percent of the total gross viewership per episode.

The strong initial performance isn't surprising. On top of the long hype campaign, The Last of Us has well-known names (including Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin) as well as the benefit of an established fan base from Naughty Dog's game franchise. Include HBO Max availability and a good early critical response and there were many people willing to tune in.

It's too soon to say if The Last of Us will be the most popular game-based TV series to date. It has to compete with successes like Netflix's League of Legends series Arcane, among others. However, the initial viewing data suggests this bet on a lavish production has paid off for everyone involved. In that light, it's easy to see why Sony was willing to commit to TV shows for God of War and Horizon. As with rival shows like Halo, this is a chance to expand interest in a franchise to many more people.

Disney+ has released a new trailer for The Mandalorian during the NFL Wild Card Game on ESPN and ABC Network. It shows Pedro Pascal's character Din Djarin and Grogu reunited and going on their next adventure. Din also reveals in the trailer that he's going back to the planet Mandalore in an effort to redeem himself after removing his helmet and showing his face to other people by the end of season 2. As revealed in previous episodes, Din is a member of the religious sect Children of the Watch that views removing one's helmet in the presence of others a serious transgression.

While Din is dealing with the consequences of his decision, the New Republic is struggling: "There's something dangerous happening out there," Captain Carson Teva warned. "And by the time it becomes big enough for you to act, it'll be too late." The trailer also shows Grogu exhibiting better control of the Force after leaving with Luke Skywalker in the previous season to train at his Jedi Temple. 

Disney released its first teaser trailer for the show at last year's D23 Expo, showing us that everybody's favorite Star Wars family will indeed get reunited for season 3. Now this newer trailer gives us a taste of what Din and Grogu will encounter. Not that we have long to wait for the next season to drop — season 3 will be available for streaming on Disney+ starting on March 1st.

Twitter is now accepting signups for those who to be among the first to access the verification for organizations program. It was previously known as Blue for Business, the company said in its announcement, along with a link to the sign-up form. Organizations will have to submit their names, Twitter usernames and websites to be considered for the waitlist. They also have to indicate their size and the expected number of affiliated accounts. If you'll recall, Musk previously announced that the website will roll out a feature that will give organizations the capability to identify accounts that are actually associated with them.

His announcement came after a rather disastrous launch of Twitter's paid verification system, which gave rise to a bunch of verified trolls impersonating companies, celebrities and other high-profile personalities. This upcoming feature is meant to help address the issue and ensure that users claiming to be part of a specific organization are who they say they are. 

Musk also announced back then that the website will offer checkmarks in different colors: gold for companies, grey for government and blue for individuals. That will make posing as a company or a government agency difficult for random users. The company ultimately had to pause Blue's initial rollout due to the influx of impersonators before relaunching it in December with an $11-per-month price tag. 

Twitter will publish its "tweet recommendation code" and will make tweet and account status visible "no later than next month," Musk has revealed, as well. Presumably, that means users will know if they've been shadowbanned and their tweets aren't showing up for other people. "Transparency builds trust," he added. In addition, he announced that the website is moving the bookmark button to the tweet details page and is fixing its image auto-cropping feature next week.

Drive to Survive did wonders for Formula 1. The hit Netflix series has drawn fans to the sport through its (sometimes manufactured) drama and beautiful cinematography. What you likely don’t know is that Formula E has its version, albeit with shorter episodes and massively condensed storylines. Even still, Formula E Unplugged is a great primer for the new season whether you’ll be watching the EV racing series for the first time or you’re a veteran fan.

Season two of Unplugged, which chronicles 2022’s Season 8 of Formula E, hit some broadcasters just before Christmas and all six episodes have made the rounds a few times here in the US already (CBS Sports Network). That’s a big change from season one’s 15 episodes which weren’t widely distributed and now live on the Formula E YouTube channel. The other difference with this new season is the episodes are 30 minutes with commercials, slightly longer than the 10- to 15-minute entries in the previous installment. But even with some added time, many of the narratives are condensed to the point they’re hard to follow at times.

Simon Galloway/LAT Images

Episode one covers Mercedes-EQ in its final season (the team was purchased by McLaren). Eventual series winner Stoffel Vandorne has to contend with the fact his teammate is the defending champion. The second episode offers a biographical look at Jaguar TCS’ Mitch Evans, including interviews with his family, his disappointing end to Season 7 and the title push in Season 8 that goes down to the very end.

In episode three, Unplugged covers two teams: TAG Heuer Porsche and ROKiT Venturi Racing. While one banked an early 1-2 finish in Season 8, the other had to contend with drama during its home race. This is the first taste of anything close to Drive to Surive drama. The fourth episode is all about the rookies as Dan Ticktum tries to put his past behind him, Antonio Giovinazzi looks to move on from F1 and American Oliver Askew tries his hand at a global series with the aid of British teammate Jake Dennis.

“Formula E Unplugged presents a realistic picture of life inside the paddock and helps fans to understand more about what makes us tick and where we are coming from,” said Ticktum, who drives for NIO 333 Racing. “I can be pretty fiery, but I think the ‘behind the scenes’ nature of Unplugged will show that sometimes there is a lot more to what drivers are going through than can be seen during races or on social media.”

Sam Bloxham/LAT Images

More drama ensues in episode five when the series covers DS Techeetah, a team with two former Formula E champions in its garage. Things get heated on multiple occasions when both Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix Da Costa have an equal desire to win. The final installment offers a look at the lead up to the final two rounds in South Korea. A four-way fight for the title, driver changes and a brief discussion of the Gen3 car round out the sixth episode.

There’s plenty to glean despite the compressed format. Even I learned new things as someone who follows the sport. However, Unplugged really focuses on the top four teams in the championship standings, with the exception of Porsche who looked strong at the outset and the episode about rookies. It would’ve been great to include Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns, who finished level on points in the driver’s standings with Di Grassi and Dennis. I can appreciate that Formula E likely has a limited budget for the show, which is why we only get a half dozen episodes, but it would’ve been nice to get to know the likes of Mahindra and Nissan eDAMS along the way (the latter is covered in S1). And there could’ve been an entire episode dedicated to the Gen3 car, especially when you consider how much more advanced it is (or eventually will be) over the Gen2 racer.

In the US, Formula E races are broadcast on CBS Sports Network and usually on a tape delay a few hours after the event. For example, the first race in Mexico City this weekend won’t air until 11:30PM ET Saturday night (race is at 2PM ET). Both practice sessions will stream on the Formula E YouTube channel (5:25PM ET Friday, 8:25AM ET Saturday). Qualifying, which is completed in a knockout-style format, is only viewable on CBSSports.com. If you’re outside of the States, select your country here for the broadcast info.

Netflix is slowly starting to make more waves in the world of livestreaming, as the company has snagged the rights to broadcast the Screen Actors Guild Awards. This year’s ceremony will take place on February 26th and stream on Netflix’s YouTube channel. Starting next year, Netflix will livestream the SAG Awards globally on its own platform as part of a multi-year deal. Until last year, the ceremony aired on TBS and TNT.

“The SAG Awards are beloved by the creative community and viewers alike, and now even more fans around the world will be able to celebrate these talented actors,” Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s head of global TV, told Variety in a statement. “As we begin to explore live streaming on Netflix, we look forward to partnering with SAG-AFTRA to elevate and expand this special ceremony as a global live event in 2024 and the years to come.”

The SAG Awards are a key precursor for the Oscars. They offer a glimpse into how Academy Awards voters are leaning, particularly for the acting categories. TV performances are honored at the event too. The Netflix announcement comes on the same day that this year’s SAG Awards nominees were revealed — on Netflix's Instagram account.

Netflix has only just started dipping its toes into livestreaming as it pursues more ways to engage subscribers and bring in new ones. In November, the company announced its first livestream event for its own platform. It will broadcast a Chris Rock standup special on March 4th.