Baldur’s Gate IIIisn’t even fully released yet and it's already achieved the kind of buzz other developers would sell a kidney for. However, with that buzz comes increased public scrutiny, and it looks like the game failed to credit many of the workers who helped complete the project, as reported by Game Developer.

The issue was originally spotted by freelance localization producer Katrina Leonoudakis, who noted that the game’s credits failed to mention translators who worked on the Brazilian and Portuguese localizations. A company called Altagram Group handled these translations, and it’s worth noting that company executives and department leads appear in the credits. Additionally, translators who localized to other languages, like Italian, were properly credited, though these translations were handled by companies other than Altagram.

The issue goes beyond translators, as reports also indicate that outsourcing studios failed to list many devs involved with the project. The credits list each studio by name, but not specific employees who worked on the game.

For its part, Larian is on top of it. The company notes that “this was all Altagram group” and that it has “compelled them to fix this,” in a statement provided to Eurogamer. The developer goes on to say that a fix is coming soon.

It’s definitely a good thing that the developer is working to resolve the issue, as people deserve credit for their work. However, this has become an all-too-common practice within the games industry. Game Developer spoke to several localization experts and they described a “laissez-faire” attitude when it comes to properly crediting contractors. To that end, there have been multiple instances of this practice in the past year, from translators working onPersona 3 and Persona 4 not being properly credited to artists and developers of high-profile titles like Metroid Dread and God of War: Ragnarok not getting their moment to shine.

The surprisingly emotional and strangely addictive “dystopian document thriller” Papers, Please just turned ten years old and has officially sold five million copies across multiple platforms throughout the past decade. To celebrate the milestone, developer Lucas Pope and his company 3909 LLC released a web game called LCD, Please that allows players to go through certain aspects of the original title.

Just like the real game, LCD, Please tasks you with approving or denying passport and transit requests. As the name suggests, the graphics style emulates those LCD portable devices of yesteryear, like Nintendo’s Game & Watch series. The sound is monotone, the controls are simple and the gameplay is addictive, making it a great way to accidentally waste a few minutes during the work day.

The web game isn’t the only way the developer is celebrating the success of Papers, Please. There’s also an official soundtrack, available now on Spotify and Apple Music, a developer’s log with insider information chronicling the game’s original pitch and a store selling related merchandise. To the latter, you can pick up posters, shirts, stickers and more.

Since the game’s initial release in 2013, Papers, Please has gone on to launch on over 40 platforms, according to the developer. Most recently, the title was released for Android and iOS devices last year. The game’s success also inspired a short film, which was well-received and lauded for capturing the spirit of the source material. Since making Papers, Please, developer Lucas Pope has gone on to create the seafaring whodunnitReturn of the Obra Dinn.

Netflix’s push into video games continues, as the company just dropped a dedicated controller app for iOS devices. The app, simply called “Netflix Game Controller,” lets you use your phone or tablet as a gamepad once you pair the device with your TV. This will allow you to play games available through Netflix’s service on the TV, while controlling things from your mobile device.

Though the app is already available for download, further news remains scant. For instance, we don’t know what games it will support or any details surrounding the pairing process. We also don’t know if and when this will be followed up by an Android app. The app’s description just teases that the gamepad functionality is “coming soon to Netflix.”

This isn’t a huge surprise, given the company’s expanding growth as an indie game publisher. Netflix Games has published or hosted nearly 70 titles in the past two years, some of which are accessible via the regular Netflix streaming app with others available on mobile devices and gaming consoles. These aren’t throwaway titles, either, as games like Oxenfree II: Lost Signals released to critical acclaim. Oxenfree developer Night School has gone on to become Netflix’s first in-house studio.

Other titles coming to the Netflix platform in the coming months include indie standouts like Storytellers, Paper Trail and the Monument Valley series. There’s also an Assassin’s Creed game in the works, along with a port of the mobile title LEGO: Legacy Heroes Unboxed. It’s a safe assumption that you should be able to use the recently-launched controller app to play some of these games. Engadget reached out to Netflix to inquire about compatibility and the possibility of an Android release. A company spokesperson said that it isn't making comments at this time. 

The beta version of Spotify’s AI-enhanced DJ feature is coming to 50 new countries, after soft-launching in the US and Canada back in February. In recent months, it’s rolled out in the UK and Ireland, but now the robotic Wolfman Jack is headed to more countries in Europe, Asia and Africa, in addition to Australia and New Zealand.

There’s a caveat, but it depends on some initial understanding of what this tool actually does. The Spotify DJ is available to premium subscription members and provides algorithmic recommendations of what to listen to, just like any music streaming app. However, these recommendations are accompanied by AI-generated DJ commentary on what you’re listening to. So what’s the rub? The DJ, based on Spotify’s Xavier Jernigan, only speaks English, no matter where you live. This is not a big deal for Australia and New Zealand, but an annoying constraint for listeners in Ghana, Singapore and most other parts of the world. A Spotify spokesperson told Engadget that the company has “no more news to share on new languages at this time.”

Despite the language limitation, it’s still a nifty toolset. It combines OpenAI’s proprietary large language model (LLM) technology, which powers ChatGPT, with Sonantic’s AI voice generation platform. Spotify bought Sonantic last year, largely due to its focus on generating realistic speech. In addition to the AI-enhanced speech, the platform also gives for written information as to why a particular song was chosen.

This tool is available today for Spotify Premium users across the world, but this is a beta, so expect changes and improvements in the short-term and long-term future. Spotify says that it is “continuing to iterate and innovate the experience.”

If you’ve been meaning to stock up on Sony’s DualSense controllers for your PS5, today is a good day to shop. The massively-popular gamepad is on sale for $49 via Amazon and other retailers, matching the previous low price. In other words, you likely won’t get a better deal than this. DualSense controllers typically sell for around $70, so this is a discount of more than 30 percent. The sale ends on August 20th. 

This is the same deal for the DualSense that pops up around Black Friday, so you’ll likely have to wait until then to nab a controller at this price if you miss the sale. The deal is available in just about every color option, from white to red, and even camouflage, though the deal doesn’t apply to the fancy DualSense Edge gamepad. 

This is the same controller that comes with the PS5 and is generally considered one of the preferred gamepads on the market, along with other fantastic accessories for the console. There's haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone, an integrated headphone jack and that iconic Sony button/control stick layout. If you are looking for the perfect controller for couch co-op sessions, this will certainly get the job done. 

As previously mentioned, the sale is for the OG DualSense, and not the revamped DualSense Edge controller. The Edge brings some new features to the table, like adjustable trigger buttons, removable rear paddles and joysticks, a cable-locking mechanism and a nifty hardshell case. However, it costs $200, which is a far cry from $49. As for the console itself, the disc-based PS5 is currently on sale for $450, a discount of $50.

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After years of speculation, Red Dead Redemption is set to launch on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. This is the original 2010 release, and not the long-rumored remaster. The western-themed third-person shooter goes on sale August 17th, just three days after revered lawman and huckleberry spokesperson Doc Holliday’s birthday.

This is the digital version, but a physical release follows on October 13th. Though this is a straight port, the release does include the Undead Nightmare DLC, the zombie campaign that was added to the Game of the Year edition back in the day. The combo pack costs $50, which seems like a lot for a straight port of a 13-year-old game that hasn’t been updated to allow for 4K visuals or a faster framerate. Also, the ports won’t support multiplayer.

As for the potential next-gen refresh, it looks to be dead in the water. Kotaku reports that Rockstar has shelved the project after the debacle surrounding the subpar performance of the GTA Trilogy remake, which was an absolute buggy mess. The company is focusing on new titles, like the forthcoming GTA VI, instead of remakes.

For the uninitiated, the original Red Dead Redemption is both a spiritual successor to an older game called Red Dead Revolver, but actually takes place after the events of Red Dead Redemption 2. It follows former outlaw John Marston as he rounds up some of the gang members that take center stage in the sequel. It’s still a sprawling open-world adventure game, like RDR2, but with a more focused narrative and structure. There’s no swimming, which is a bummer, but you can still tie people to train tracks, which is the opposite of a bummer.

Global ransomware attacks are on the rise, according to a report issued by Malwarebytes. The study shows a massive surge from July 2022 to June 2023, with the United States bearing the brunt of these attacks. The organization noted that of the 1,900 reported ransomware attacks collected, over 43 percent originate in the U.S, an increase of 75 percent from last year’s findings.

Germany, France and the UK also experienced an uptick in deployed ransomware, but at a lower rate than the United States. The report details 48 separate ransomware groups that attacked American companies, governmental organizations and garden variety consumers during the aforementioned time period. Even worse? Healthcare and educational institutions were disproportionately impacted. For instance, dental insurer Managed Care of North America (MCNA) experienced a breach back in March and the New York City Department of Education was hit in June.

It’s worth noting that the study conducted by Malwarebytes shows only reported incidents, so the actual number of attacks could be much higher than 1,900. The whole point of a ransomware attack is to, well, exact a ransom, so some organizations make the payout and keep things quiet.

What exactly is a ransomware attack? It’s malware expressly designed to deny users and organizations access to files on a computer. The software locks everything up tight and when you pay the ransom, you receive a decryption key to regain access to the files. It’s a digital shakedown.

The biggest global offender is a ransomware gang called Clop, long-suspected to have ties to Russia. The criminal organization has evolved in the past year, capitalizing on zero-day software vulnerabilities to amp up the scope of its attacks. Back in June, the group took advantage of one of these vulnerabilities in enterprise file transfer software to breach the servers of hundreds of companies, including the largest US pension fund.

Malwarebytes says this transition to zero-day software exploits, instead of phishing emails and virus-laden downloads, could “signal a change in the game” and explain the increase in reported incidents.

As for the rest of the world, France’s numbers doubled in the past year, with a disproportionate number of attacks levied at governmental institutions. The UK experienced 200 attacks from 32 separate groups with an alarming uptick in frequency. Last year, the country reported a single ransomware attack per month. In this most recent year, it was eight per month.

Arturia has officially begun its annual summer sale, offering steep discounts on a vast array of digital instruments, effects and sound bank packs. The average discount is 50 percent, so you can pick up the well-regarded Pigments synthesizer for $100 instead of $200 or the infamous Dist Coldfire distortion effect plugin for $50 instead of $100.

The sale applies to nearly every standalone digital instrument and effect, so check the site to find something up your alley. The sale also includes sound banks, which are basically packs of presets available in a number of musical genres. You can pick up a pack of 32 presets for just $5 or a more extensive pack of 150 presets for $15.

However, this sale is only for individual instruments and effects, so it doesn’t include combo packs like the V Collection 9. Each synthesizer within the collection, like the Solina V and Vox Continental V, is on sale, but buying the whole pack at full price is still the better deal, as each synth is $100 and the pack is $600. The same goes for effects bundles.

The sale also doesn’t include hardware instruments, like the PolyBrute or the MatrixBrute. Those are still full price via Arturia, though you could find deals at retail outlets. Arturia’s summer sale lasts until August 15th, so make haste if you want to catch some discounts. The company does regularly offer similar site-wide sales if you miss out. The next one will likely be for the holidays.

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High-end earbuds are not typically impulse buys, but Wellbots is offering a significant discount on Google’s Pixel Buds Pro earbuds that just about does the trick. The online retailer is selling the well-regarded earbuds for $140, that’s $60 off the regular price of $200. All you have to do is head to the sales page and enter the code ENGPIXEL60 at checkout.

The Pixel Buds Pro are well-reviewed across the board and even made it into our list of the best earbuds. These are far and away the best wireless earbuds Google has ever made, with deep and punchy bass, decent ANC performance, near-perfect touch controls, wireless charging and more. The IPX4-rated earbuds are also optimized for Android and Pixel devices, allowing access to Google Translate Conversation Mode and other amenities.

The battery gets 11 hours of use per charge and there’s three microphones included inside of each ear, for making voice calls. The earbuds are available in a handful of colors, including black, gray, green and red. The buds also ship with a wireless charging case and a variety of different-sized tips.

The Wellbots code of ENGPIXEL60 has another use beyond picking up a pair of Pixel Buds Pro earbuds. Use the same code to get $60 off when buying a new Google Pixel Watch, bringing the price down to $290 from $350.

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Nothing has only been around a few years, racking up successes in that time frame, and now the company is launching a sub-brand dedicated to affordability. Speaking during the company’s latest community update video, CEO Carl Pei announced CMF by Nothing, which promises “a new range of products that make better design more accessible” via low pricing.

CMF stands for “Color, Material and Finish” and already has a couple of products in the works, including a smartwatch and a pair of earbuds. Both items are set to arrive later this year, with actual details promised for the coming months. Pei says that CMF will set itself apart from its parent brand by focusing on “clean design” that’s “accessible,” whereas Nothing prioritizes a “premium” feel and “design innovation.”

Pei also noted that CMF is being run by a different team, so it won’t take too much attention from the primary brand’s line of smartphones, earbuds and thingamajigs. This is not the CEO’s first rodeo in the world of affordable sub-brands. Back when he was with OnePlus, Pei kickstarted the Nord sub-brand, which is still around and regularly releases budget-friendly smartphones, earbuds and smartwatches.

It’s worth noting that Nothing already wades in the waters of affordability. The Nothing Phone 2 is $600, which is much lower than rival flagship offerings, and the Ear 1 earbuds originally launched for $100, before the price raised to $150 due to increased material costs.