On the same day it officially became a PlayStation studio, Bungie filed a lawsuit against a Destiny 2 player it accused of persistent cheating and making threats against its employees. The developer claimed Luca Leone violated the game's Limited Software License Agreement (LSLA) on multiple occasions. It's seeking $150,000 in damages and an injunction preventing Leone from “harassing, stalking or otherwise engaging in unwanted or unsolicited contact with Bungie, its employees or Destiny 2 players,” as Kotaku reports.

Bungie said it banned Leone multiple times for using Destiny 2 cheat software while streaming on Twitch. In an attempt to evade the ban, Leone created 13 accounts, each of which constituted a fresh breach of the LSLA, according to the filing. The studio claimed Leone violated the LSLA on other fronts, including by selling Destiny 2 accounts that contain emblems, or non-transferable badges that players can earn. Bungie says these "are prized by many players, especially collectors."

In addition, Bungie claims that Leone has made threats regarding the studio and its employees. According to the suit, Leone tweeted "about his desire to 'burn down' Bungie’s office building and [wrote] that specific Bungie employees were 'not safe' given Leone’s intent to move into their neighborhood."

In May, an image of Destiny 2 community manager Dylan Gafner's employee badge appeared on a Twitter account that's said to belong to Leone. "I just realized I’ll be moving to a place that’s 30 minutes away from dmg,” Leone allegedly wrote, followed by “he is not safe." Bungie notes that "dmg" likely refers to Gafner, who uses the Twitter handle @dmg04.

Leone's purported Twitter account has since been locked. His reported Twitch channel features no content other than a bio reading "[23-year-old] Bungie playtester from Los Angeles." Engadget has contacted Leone for comment.

The filing follows a number of instances of harassment against game developers. Forbes' Paul Tassi wrote that Destiny 2 sandbox design lead Kevin Yanes has all but left Twitter. Players reportedly reacted with fury to Yanes saying an item from the original Destiny will not return. "I dream of a day where videogame developers (from any studio) can openly discuss their work without being harassed," Gafner wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

A few weeks ago, Sony Santa Monica developers received threats and unsolicited photos of genitalia for not revealing the God of War: Ragnarök release date when the studio was reportedly planning to. Sony Santa Monica announced the release timing just a few days later.

This isn't the first time Bungie has targeted players with legal action. Just last month, it sued someone who allegedly uploaded music from the Destiny 2 soundtrack for filing fake DMCA notices against content creators.

EA has announced the cover stars for FIFA 23 and, for the first time in the series, a female player will feature on the Ultimate Edition, which will be available internationally. Chelsea's Sam Kerr is one of the two cover stars, along with Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain. This will be the third straight year Mbappé has appeared on FIFA covers.

Kerr is a more than worthy player to showcase on the game's cover. She has been shortlisted for the women's Ballon D'Or every year since the award's inception and finished in third place in last year's voting. Among her many other honors, Kerr has helped Chelsea to win the Women's Super League in each of the three seasons since she joined the club.

EA put women on the cover of its soccer games for the first time with FIFA 16. Steph Catley, Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair featured on the Australian, US and Canadian covers, respectively. They appeared alongside Lionel Messi, who was the cover star on other editions.

Meanwhile, Eurogamer reports that the Women's Super League, which is the highest-tier of pro women's soccer in England, will make its debut in the FIFA series this year. Until now, FIFA fans have only been able to play as women in the Volta and Pro Clubs modes, as well as in international teams through the kick-off mode.

EA will reveal much more about FIFA 23 when the first trailer debuts at noon ET on Wednesday (you'll be able to watch the video below once it's live). This will be the last annual EA soccer game that bears FIFA branding in its title. The name of the series will become EA Sports FC next year following a messy divorce from FIFA.

Crunchyroll is changing prices for users in nearly 100 countries and territories, but not in the way you'd probably expect. Instead of increasing the cost of monthly subscription plans, Crunchyroll is lowering them to offer users "even more value." The move could help the anime-focused streaming service attract more subscribers too.

In the UK, the Mega Fan plan (which allows for offline viewing and up to four simultaneous streams) now costs £6 per month instead of £8. The lower-tier Fan plan is £5, down from £6.50. Users in India will see a far more significant price decrease. Instead of $10 USD per month for a Mega Fan subscription, they'll pay 99 rupees, which converts to around $1.25. Meanwhile, users in Brazil will save around 37.5 percent each month and those in the United Arab Emirates will pay nearly 50 percent less on a monthly basis.

Crunchyroll's announcement includes a full list of countries and territories where it is lowering prices, including European, Caribbean, South American, African and Middle Eastern regions. There are some notable omissions, including the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

Sony bought Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021 and folded content from Funimation into it earlier this year. Given that Crunchyroll is the go-to streaming service for anime fans, it wouldn't have been surprising to see Sony bump up the monthly fees. Instead, it's making Crunchyroll more competitive against the likes of Netflix and Hulu, each of which have anime offerings but have increasedprices over the last year.

EA will release the 12th expansion pack for The Sims 4 on July 28th. Starting on the same day, all players (including those who don't buy the High School Years DLC) will be able to change their Sims' sexual orientation, as part of the developers' efforts to bolster LGBTQIA+ representation in the game.

"Between this update and the recent pronouns update, we’re taking several strides forward into being a game that respects and celebrates the nuance and color of everyday life," a Sims 4 lead designer known as SimGuruJessica wrote in the announcement. Developer Maxis worked with GLAAD and the It Gets Better Project "to ensure that we’ve captured the widest possible range of viewpoints on how to approach this feature in a manner that respects and elevates the community."

There are several attraction settings for each Sim, which you can adjust via the ellipsis menu under the gender selection option on the Create A Sim screen. You can determine whether your Sim is attracted to men or women (or neither), if your Sim's orientation can change during gameplay and which genders they can "WooHoo" (i.e. have sex) with. Players can alter these settings at any time.

You can have an asexual Sim who's romantically interested in other Sims and an aromantic Sim who is happy to WooHoo other characters but won't enter into a relationship with them. Casual sex is a new feature in The Sims 4, since WooHoo has always been locked behind the romance mechanic. Young adult and older Sims will be able to ask close friends to hop in the sack as WooHoo partners. A rejected invitation could lead to an awkward interaction, though.

"I want to again acknowledge that these topics are complex and full of nuance," SimGuruJessica wrote. "We consider this a version 1.0, and are absolutely looking forward to seeing what further tools we might add to allow players to tell a broader range of stories."

While players can change their Sims' pronouns, the romance and WooHoo options are gender binary for now due to how the game was created. "Mechanically, non-binary Sims don’t yet exist in [The Sims 4]," SimGuruJessica noted. "While we made great progress in representing non-binary Sims with the pronouns update, we acknowledge that pronouns are not the same thing as gender identities. We recognize that we still have a ways to go in this regard." Adding the systems needed to properly support non-binary Sims will take a little more time, but Maxis is working on it.

Same-sex relationships have been present in the series since the very first game (an E3 demo in 1999 famously depicted two women kissing). Still, these new settings will enable players to have more control over the stories they want to tell. Maxis has been working to improve representation in The Sims 4 on other fronts. In 2020, the team added more than 100 skin tones and sliders to customize them.

TikTok's global chief security officer (CSO) will step down from that position and shift into a strategic advisory role. Roland Cloutier's change in duties follows concerns about how the company is handling US user data. TikTok recently admitted that employees outside of the country were able to access that information, although "robust cybersecurity controls and authorization" from its US security team were required.

Cloutier will be an adviser on the business impact of TikTok's security and trust programs. TikTok’s head of security risk, vendor and client assurance, Kim Albarella, will take over as the chief of the company's worldwide security teams on an interim basis.

"Part of our evolving approach has been to minimize concerns about the security of user data in the US, including the creation of a new department to manage US user data for TikTok," CEO Shou Zi Chew wrote in a memo to TikTok staff. "This is an important investment in our data protection practices, and it also changes the scope of the global chief security officer role. With this in mind, Roland has decided to step back from his day-to-day operations as global CSO, effective September 2nd."

A TikTok spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal Cloutier wasn't overseeing the new team that manages US user data. That department reports to Chew directly. Cloutier's departure wasn't related to lawmakers' concerns over US data security, the spokesperson said, and the shift had been in the works for a couple of months.

Last month, BuzzFeed News reported that China-based engineers at TikTok's parent company ByteDance accessed non-public data on US TikTok users on multiple occasions between at least last September and January. TikTok said it's now storing all US users' data on Oracle cloud servers located in the country and that it was working to remove such private data from its own servers. In a letter to a group of Republican senators this month, Chew wrote that the company is focused on removing "any doubt about the security of US user data."

Disney is set to increase the price of ESPN+ plans once again. As of August 23rd, a monthly subscription will go up by $3 to $10 (a jump of 43 percent), while the annual option will be $100, up from $70, as first reported by Variety.

That's a significant price increase at a time when the prices of many goods and services are rising sharply. It's a far bigger jump than the previous ESPN+ monthly plan increases of $1 in August 2020 and again last year. ESPN+ cost just $5 per month when it debuted in 2019 and, at least at the time, it was a killer deal.

“While it is a significant change to the price, it’s reflective of the increased scope, scale and value of ESPN+ as we continue to add significantly to both live sports and original programs and series, and it is part of an established plan to ensure ESPN+ is a profitable and strong long-term business," an ESPN spokesperson told The Wrap. "I think you’ll also find, if you look across the sports streaming landscape, ESPN+ clearly remains the best value — in virtually all other sports streaming, you pay this price or more, and get less.” 

For what it's worth, rival sports streaming services DAZN and Bally Sports+ each cost $20 per month. ESPN+ includes PGA Tour Live, which cost $10 per month when it was a standalone service, and NHL's Center Ice, which previously cost $25 per month. The platform also offers games from several major soccerleagues (though it's losing MLS to Apple next year), the NFL, college football and other sports. It's also home to ESPN original shows and docuseries, as well as various specials. As Bloomberg notes, in the first quarter of 2022, ESPN programming and production costs increased by 48 percent to $454 million.

At least for now, Disney does not plan to increase the price of the Disney Bundle. Along with ESPN+, that provides access to Disney+ and the ad-supported version of Hulu. The bundle costs $14 per month. Subscribing to all three services individually would add up to a monthly bill of $25 after the ESPN+ increase. In addition, there aren't plans to increase the price of UFC pay-per-view events on ESPN+ at the minute either.

Amazon has revealed the second city where it plans to start making drone deliveries later this year. The company says it will start contacting customers in College Station, Texas, to gauge their interest in receiving orders via Prime Air.

Amazon says it was impressed by many elements of the city, including the research being conducted by Texas A&M University, such as work on drone technology. The US Census Bureau estimates the population of College Station was 120,000 as of last July, so while it isn't the biggest city around, it seems like a decent size for the initially rollout of Prime Air.

"Amazon's new facility presents a tremendous opportunity for College Station to be at the forefront of the development of drone delivery technology," Karl Mooney, the mayor of College Station, said. "We look forward to partnering with Amazon and Texas A&M and are confident that Amazon will be a productive, conscientious, and accountable participant in our community."

Amazon last month announced it will start making drone deliveries in Lockeford, California later this year. It plans to drop packages in customers' backyards and thousands of products will be eligible for the program. Amazon will start the Prime Air service nine years (and more than two dozen prototypes) after it first revealed plans for drone deliveries.

The history of video games is littered with odd tie-in merchandise, from Resident Evil perfume and Xbox body wash to a Call of Duty-themed Jeep and the Xbox Mini Fridge. Annapurna Interactive is adding to that storied legacy with a branded cat carrier for new adventure game Stray.

The publisher teamed up with pet accessories brand Travel Cat for the limited-edition carrier, which it announced just a few days before the game hits PlayStation and PC on Tuesday. "We've hinted at it. It's true. We're happy to share that limited-edition Stray x Travel Cat merch for your feline companions is up for pre-order!" Annapurna wrote in a tweet spotted by Eurogamer.

It's a version of a Travel Cat backpack called The Fat Cat with neon and charcoal colors inspired by the cyberpunk setting of Stray. The pet accessory company says the $185 carrier is sturdy and breathable, while there's space for more than one cat. There's a bubble attachment so your curious furry friends can look at the outside world, as well as a leash clip (a Stray leash and harness are also available)

You don't have to limit the contents to cats either. "You could also use the harness and backpack for small/mediumish dogs if you really wanted to," Annapurna said. "And you can use the backpack for carrying stuff in general too." Travel Cat will ship the carrier in two batches, one on August 31st and another on September 21st.

There's been a sizable buzz around puzzle platformer Stray since it first emerged a couple of years ago. You'll play as a stray cat that has been separated from its family. You'll make your way home through a dystopian cybercity with the help of a companion drone, all the while knocking over as many things as you can. PlayStation Plus subscribers on the Extra and Premium tiers can play the game at no extra cost.

It's been just over two years since we learned that EA was working on the first entry in the Skate series since 2010's Skate 3. Although the publisher isn't quite ready to announce the release window, it revealed some more details, including the fact the game is just called Skate.

It's a free-to-play live service title with microtransactions, though there will not be any pay-to-win elements or loot boxes. You won't need to fork over cash to unlock areas of the map (the action is set in a new location called San Vansterdam) and there are no paid gameplay advantages. "We are taking inspiration from games like Apex Legends or other popular titles that are free to play, where spending money is totally optional, and it’s mostly about cosmetics and convenience," Isabelle Mocquard, head of product management at EA, said in a video update. 

EA plans to support Skate for years to come with additional gameplay features, balance changes, more content and seasonal events. "We're in this for the long haul. That means we’re not an iterative title," creative director Chris “Cuz” Parry said. "There won’t be a Skate 5 through 10. We won’t be pumping them out all the time."

The publisher invited fans to playtest "pre-, pre-, pre-alpha software" and provide feedback to help make the game as good as it possibly can be. It will soon welcome more players to try early versions of the game through an insider program.

EA opened a new studio in Vancouver called Full Circle to take the reins on Skate, though it's a mostly remote team with developers based all over North America. Some veterans of the Skate franchise are on board too, including Parry.

Skate will be available on PlayStation and Xbox (including the last-gen consoles), and the series will make its debut on PC. Full Circle is also working on a mobile version, which is in the early stages of development. There will be cross-play and cross-progression across all platforms as well.

Many creators use a control pad like Elgato's Stream Deck to help them manage livestreams and create art. Razer is looking to make moves in the space with its own control pad, the Stream Controller.

The company is working with Loupedeck on the device, which seems to be a rebadged version of the Loupedeck Live with Razer's marketing muscle behind it. The Stream Controller has 12 haptic switchblade keys, six analog dials and eight physical buttons, all of which you can customize using Loupedeck's software on Windows or macOS. You can use the controls to change all kinds of settings (such as layouts and scenes) on the fly, launch apps and even manage smart home devices.

Razer

The dials help the Stream Controller stand out from similar devices. They allow for fine adjustment of certain settings, such as lighting and volume, so you might use it as an audio mixer to balance out your microphone, gameplay and background music. You can find plugins, profiles and icon packs on the marketplace and create your own actions and macros.

You'll be able to set up multiple control layouts (called workspaces) for dedicated purposes and map those to the eight physical buttons or swipe between them. Digital artists who stream on Twitch for fun could use the Stream Controller for both work and pleasure, since they can switch to a separate workspace with completely different functions. Or you might use the Stream Controller to control music playback during the day and help you edit YouTube or TikTok videos at night.

You'll pay a premium for the extra utility of the dials and other functions, though. At $270, the Stream Controller is more expensive than the $150 Stream Deck. Razer will start shipping the device this fall.