Electronic Arts is determined to keep cheaters at bay. The company has developed a kernel-level anti-cheat system for PC that it will deploy alongside FIFA 23 when the game arrives on September 30th. According to the publisher, the move was necessary to "ensure fair play" by taking on PC cheat developers who are increasingly building kernel-level exploits that OS-level anti-cheat tools are unable to detect.

In a blog post, EA's senior director of game security and anti-cheat Elise Murphy wrote that the company created EA AntiCheat (EAAC) because "third-party anti-cheat solutions are often opaque to our teams, and prevent us from implementing additional privacy controls or customizations that provide greater accuracy and granularity for EA-specific game modes." It should also be able to address security issues head on.

EAAC won't be used in all EA games, though the publisher says it's necessary for competitive titles with an online focus, such as FIFA 23. This year's edition includes cross-play support and, in theory, EAAC should prevent console players from having to deal with PC cheaters. The company may take different anti-cheat approaches in games without leaderboards or a competitive system. As such, it wouldn't be a surprise to see EA add EAAC to the likes of Apex Legends, but it seems unlikely to be patched in to the 2021 Game of the Year (don't take my word for it) It Takes Two.

The tool will only be active when a game with EAAC is running on your PC. It will be uninstalled when you remove all EA games that require it (you can uninstall EAAC manually, but the likes of FIFA 23 won't be playable). Murphy wrote that "EAAC will have negligible impact on your gameplay," so it shouldn't diminish performance.

As far as system privacy and security goes, Murphy says that EAAC will only examine the files it needs to for anti-cheat reasons. EAAC will hash the information that it does collect and jettison the original data. The tool won't collect data from your browsing history, apps that don't interact with EA games or anything else that's irrelevant to its purposes, according to the blog post.

EA isn't the first publisher to adopt a kernel-level anti-cheat approach. Riot and Activision use similar tools in Valorant, Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Meta is introducing a new way for Facebook’s nearly 3 billion users to connect with one another. In the coming weeks, the company plans to expand the availability of Community Chats, a feature that will allow Facebook and Messenger groups to organize discussions around their favorite topics. On top of the usual text conversations, Community Chats will support audio and video channels and allow admins to broadcast messages to their groups.

Since Meta envisions you using Community Chats to communicate with people outside of your immediate social circle, admins will have access to a handful of moderation tools to ensure conversations stay civil. An “Admin Assist” feature will allow them to create a list of words and phrases they want the platform to automatically flag and take action against. Admins also have the power to block, mute and suspend individuals who don’t play by their community’s rules. They can also host admin-only chats where they can talk privately with their moderation team. 

If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because Meta is effectively replicating how Discord works. On Discord, you can join Community Servers that are organized around a single game or interest, and it’s even possible for admins to create multiple sub-channels for people to discuss specific aspects of their interest, much like Meta will allow Community Chats users to do. Even the moderation tools are reminiscent of features Discord has released in recent months to combat trolls.

Bayonetta 3 is primed to be a stylish, neon-splattered action title, and Nintendo has the gameplay trailer to prove it. Today the studio dropped nearly eight minutes of Bayonetta 3 gameplay footage on YouTube, showcasing Bayonetta's Witch Time, Demon Masquerade and summoning abilities, and how other characters will play. 

The game pits Bayonetta and her cohorts — a witch-in-training called Viola, the Umbra Witch Jeanne and a journalist named Luka — against an army of man-made bioweapons called Homonculi. Each character brings their own flair to the fight; Viola, for instance, can call upon a giant, maniacal Cheshire cat to help her take down massive monsters.

The Demon Masquerade feature allows Bayonetta to channel the abilities of various animals, including a moth, spider and scorpion. There's also a new accessory called Immortal Marionette that adds a one-button input mechanic for combos and defense moves to any difficulty setting in the game. 

Bayonetta 3 is set to hit Switch on October 28th.

Today's Nintendo Direct kicked off with a bang, with the reveal of a new, mainline Fire Emblem game. You won't have to wait too long to get your hands on Fire Emblem Engage either. It's coming to Nintendo Switch on January 20th. 

Along with the announcement, Nintendo offered a first look at gameplay. Fire Emblem Engage appears to have grid-based, real-time strategy elements, along with turn-based battles and open-world exploration. You'll be able to summon heroes such as Marth (who's making his return to the Fire Emblem series) and Celica in your battle against "a great evil." 

Last year Netflix grabbed the most Primetime Emmys with 10, but this year it was only third best behind Apple TV+ and HBO Max. The latter dominated last night's proceedings with 12 awards, including five for The White Lotus, four for Succession (including Outstanding Drama Series) and one each for Euphoria, Hacks and Last Week Tonight. 

Apple TV+, meanwhile took all four of its awards with Ted Lasso, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actor, Comedy (Jason Sudeikis), Support Actor, Comedy (Brett Goldstein) and Directing, Comedy (MJ Delany). Last year Lasso took seven primetime prizes.

Netflix's most productive show was Korea's Squid Game, which took two Primetime Emmys while showing off the streamer's power as a global platform. It also took one award for Ozark, with Julia Garner taking the supporting actress prize. Meanwhile, Hulu took two awards with wins by Michael Keaton for Dopesick and Amanda Seyfried for The Dropout, while Prime Video nabbed a single award for Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

Nearly as notable were shows that were shut out. Those include HBO Max's Better Call Saul and Barry, which have both won Emmys in the past, Apple TV+'s Severance and Netflix's Stranger Things and Only Murders in the Building, which had 17 nominations but only won three non-Primetime Emmys. As with last year, streaming platforms dominated the Emmys over linear TV, with the major networks taking just three Primetime Emmys combined.

Twitter has begun rolling out its redesigned Spaces tab. Starting today, Twitter Blue members on iOS can check out the new interface element through the subscription’s early access Labs feature. The tab brings together live and recorded Spaces, and even offers a selection of popular podcasts you can listen to directly through the app.

Evidence that Twitter was working on adding podcasts came out in March when developer Jane Manchun Wong found references to the tab in Twitter’s code. A few months later, the company began testing the interface tweak with a small group of English-speaking users on Android and iOS. In its current iteration, the tab features separate categories for current and upcoming Spaces and a Stations section that groups podcasts and Spaces under similar themes.

If the interface Twitter has gone with doesn’t look ideal for finding a specific podcast or episode, that’s by design. The tab won’t replace dedicated apps like Pocket Casts. However, it may help you discover something new to listen to, and if in the process you check out a Space or two, then the tab has done its job.

This is not a drill (or a tweet from a phony Nintendo account). Nintendo has at long last revealed when its next showcase takes place. It has set a Nintendo Direct for September 13th at 10AM ET. You can watch it on Nintendo's YouTube channel or below.

Expect around 40 minutes of announcements, updates and trailers this time around, with a focus on games coming to Nintendo Switch this winter. Expect the likes of Bayonetta 3 to feature. Fingers crossed for more details on the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as well, including the actual name of the game and a firm release date.

There will surely be a bunch of surprises. It's always fun when Nintendo announces a game at a Direct and releases it on the Switch eShop on the same day. Here's hoping Vampire Survivors is one of them. Maybe the Advance Wars remake will get a new release date too.

This marks the second full-fledged Nintendo Direct of the year. There have been several more narrowly focused Nintendo events in recent months, including an Indie World Showcase in May, followed by Directs focused on Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3 and third-party games. 

Fans of Disney’s mid-90s output got a surprise treat this week. During its recent gaming showcase, the company revealed it was remastering Gargoyles. Alongside Aladdin and The Lion King, the 1995 Sega Genesis release is one of the highlights of Disney’s gaming catalog.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, it’s based on the animated series of the same name. Gargoyles initially aired between 1994 and 1997. While it was a modest success then, it has since become a cult classic thanks to its compelling story and a stellar voice cast that included Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis.

Empty Clip Studios, best known for its work on Dead Island Retro Revenge, is remastering the game for modern consoles and PC. The 1995 original is known for being one of the best-looking games in the Genesis library. It also featured a soundtrack by Michael Giacchino, who later went on to work on The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Lost and Rogue One – among a lot of other high-profile films and TV shows. The remaster does not have a release date yet.

In addition to being one of the best games of the year, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring features an absolute treat of a soundtrack. Tsukasa Saitoh, Shoi Miyazawa, Yuka Kitamura, Yoshimi Kudo and Tai Tomisawa crafted an orchestral score that pays homage to the studio’s past while offering something new, and now you can listen to their work without booting up the game.

Publisher Bandai Namco has uploaded Elden Ring's entire 67-track score to nearly every streaming service out there. Among other platforms, you can listen to the soundtrack on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal and YouTube Music. If you still buy albums, it's also available through iTunes.  

As is so often the case with From’s games, the songs that play during boss battles are among the most memorable. I had to stop myself from gritting my teeth after Malenia’s theme came on. Thankfully, the more ambient tracks, including "Limgrave," are there to balance things out. Bandai Namco also released an all-too-short behind-the-scenes video showcasing the Budapest Film Orchestra recording some of the music you can hear in-game and online. You can watch it below.

Just Dance is officially entering its live-service era with Just Dance 2023. The latest iteration of Ubisoft's dance-along franchise will support online multiplayer for up to six people at a time, unlocking the full game to be played with friends. The studio promises regular free content updates "for years to come," including fresh game modes, songs and themed seasons.

Ubisoft

Just Dance 2023 is due to hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch on November 22nd. It'll come to Google Stadia at a later date.

This marks the first time in Just Dance history that players will be able to get down with friends live and online. The new Online Groups feature in Just Dance 2023 allows players to team up with people they know or other folks around the world, and it has an emoji communication system. The game supports cross-platform play. And, of course, there's always local multiplayer for in-person dance-offs.

Ubisoft

Just Dance 2023 will include 40 new universes and songs at launch, including "Physical" by Dua Lipa and "More" by K/DA. With a focus on transitioning Just Dance into a live service, rather than a series of discrete titles, Ubisoft will likely have a regular cadence of new material to drop on its dancers post-launch, so don't stress too much about the track list for now.