Bethesda's roadmap for the fiscal years starting in 2020 and ending in 2024 has made its way online as part of the unredacted documents leaked from the FTC v. Microsoft case. The list contains games we're already expecting from the developer, but it also includes previously unannounced titles. One of the them is a new entry for the Doom franchise entitled Doom Year Zero, which was scheduled to come out int the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, Bethesda had Dishonored 3 listed with the rest of the games planned for release in the fiscal year of 2024. It was also aiming to release a sequel to the paranormal adventure game Ghostwire: Tokyo in the same period. 

Seeing as Bethesda has yet to announce these titles, it's unclear if they will be launched according to the developer's original plans, or even if they're still coming out all. Other than the aforementioned games, the roadmap for FY 2024 also lists Fallout 3 Remaster and an unnamed licensed IP game. Oblivion Remaster was listed for FY 2022, but it has yet to be released.

In a letter from the same cache of leaked documents wherein Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer talked about how much he wanted to acquire Nintendo, he also mentioned that the tech giant was in talks to buy Bethesda parent company Zenimax. Bethesda officially became part of Xbox in 2021 after regulators approved the purchase — something that may or may not happen for Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition. The tech giant announced last year that it intended to purchase Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, but regulators in the US and EU have opposed to deal — at least in its initial formulation — due to concerns it could limit competition within the industry.

Microsoft

Before CD Projekt Red releases Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion, it will first roll out an update that brings massive changes to the action role-playing game. The developer has announced that update 2.0 will be available starting on September 21st, and it will be free for everyone who already owns the title. This patch adds new skill trees and perks that weren't previously seen in the game. It also gives the universe's police system a revamp, so that it operates on what the developer describes as "clear, simple rules." 

Criminal activity in the game is punished, with cops going after runners and killing individuals afflicted by cyberpsychosis with no questions asked. The game's interface will now show how likely the cops are coming after a player through a Heat system displayed on screen. Those who reach the maximum level of Heat — 5 stars — will encounter a Max Tac mini-boss experience. If they choose to run from authorities, they'll get into car chases and road blocks that they'll have to escape. In case the cops manage to catch them, they will not be able to surrender peacefully or bribe their way out. But if they manage to shake off the cops, then they'll know when they're no longer being chased when NPCs start leaving the scene. 

Update 2.0 also gives players new ways to take out enemies from their vehicle. They can now shoot their weapons from the back of their motorcycles and through their car's windshield or out of its side window. They can also use new mounted weapons for certain nomad cars. Meanwhile, netrunners can hack and take over their enemies' cars and make them explode. In addition to all those, the update also comes with UI and UX improvements, new loot, crafting changes and new radio stations. 

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, on the other hand, adds a brand new storyline, characters — including one modeled after Idris Elba — and quests to the game. It will be available on September 26 and will cost players $30. 

If you're a premium subscriber to the social media site X, formerly Twitter, you now can hide your likes tab from the public, the company said in a tweet.

When enabled, the tab for likes is supposed to disappear completely from an X Premium user’s profile. The new feature can be turned on when you change your preferences through the early access period.

This move is the latest appeal Musk’s X is making to paying patrons. It's a continuation of X’s galvanized effort to appeal to more subscribers, especially considering the company’s US advertising revenue is down 60 percent, and also a way for premium subscribers to hide the fact that they are liking hateful or otherwise questionable tweets. You can subscribe as a premium member for as little as $8/month or $84/year, which will also grant you early access to new features, and of course the verified blue check mark.

We may see more public figures and officials take up X on their premium offering after this announcement. Historically, we have seen PR crises ensue for politicians like Ted Cruz, who forgot his likes were public when in 2017, his account “hearted” a pornographic clip that left the internet howling.

TikTok and Billboard are collaborating on a pop music chart. TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart is a new weekly roundup listing the most popular songs on the social platform in the US. The list debuts with the track “SkeeYee” by Sexyy Red taking the inaugural top spot.

TikTok and Billboard describe the collaboration as the first official chart in the US to provide the “most accurate record” of the hottest songs on the platform. As TikTok has proven it can even revive the fortunes of four-decade-old classic rock tunes, the company says its chart combines creations, video views and user engagement by the US TikTok community to tally the top hits. The list will be updated weekly on Thursdays.

Following Sexyy Red’s top spot is Doja Cat, with “Paint The Town Red” at number two. “August” by Taylor Swift, who has six songs in the top 50, lands at number three. The list includes one startling entry: Convicted sex offender R. Kelly somehow appears at number 45 with his unfortunately titled song “It Seems Like You’re Ready.”

“I am so excited that so many of my songs are charting on TikTok and Billboard’s new chart,” said Sexyy Red. “I always knew I would be a #1 type of artist, so I want to thank all my fans on TikTok for running my music up! I’m just being me on TikTok and people love it.”

You can check out the weekly charts in the TikTok app by selecting the round icon on the screen’s bottom corner and then tapping the “Music Charts” button on the top right. Alternatively, you can view the Top 50 chart on Billboard’s website.

Riot Forge, the spinoff-focused publishing label of Riot Games, announced two League of Legends universe updates today. Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, which Riot Forge delayed a year ago, finally has a release date: November 1. The Riot Games subsidiary also announced a cozy and adorable new League of Legends spinoff, Bandle Tale. They follow League of Legends offshoots The Mageseeker and Convergence, which launched earlier this year.

Song of Nunu is a story-driven adventure where you embark on “the ultimate road trip” with League champions Nun and Willump. “Players will hike, climb, and sled their way across the Freljord, a frostbitten land full of harsh blizzards, ferocious wolves and enchantment,” the game’s press release reads. “Gamers must use their wits to progress through the frozen landscape and uncover what secrets lie hidden beneath the ice.” Tequila Works developed the Riot Forge-published title.

The $30 game will launch on November 1 on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. (Riot Forge says other console launch dates will be announced later.) Digital pre-orders for the title are available today, and those who reserve the game will get a bonus digital art book. Riot will also try to entice you with a $100 Collector’s Edition that adds Willump and Poro plush dolls, an art book, four postcards, five enamel pins, a collectible art print and a pop-up diorama.

The cute Bandle Tale doesn’t yet have a release date, but it does have a charming trailer that showcases the title’s retro top-down aesthetic. You play as a yordle (the quirky little residents of Bandle City) as you “gather and craft to fulfill quests with beloved League of Legends champions to rescue Bandle City and reunite its inhabitants.” Riot Forge describes it as a laid-back experience appealing to “cozy game” fans.

Riot Forge will have more Bandle Tale release details and news about a collector’s edition “soon.” In the meantime, you can better grasp Lazy Bear Games’ mechanics and charming style in the trailer below.

The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group claimed responsibility for the MGM Resorts cyber outage on Tuesday, and it apparently took the group only 10 minutes on a phone call to glean the information needed to shut down systems and slot machines — not the slot machines! — at casinos owned by MGM Resorts.

“All ALPHV ransomware group did to compromise MGM Resorts was hop on LinkedIn, find an employee, then call the Help Desk,” the organization wrote in a post on X. Those details came from ALPHV but have not been independently confirmed by security researchers.

MGM Resorts didn’t respond to a request for comment but said on Tuesday that “Our resorts, including dining, entertainment and gaming, are currently operational.”

— Mat Smith

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Coca-Cola made an AI-generated soda

The only people who asked for this are the PR execs.

Coca Cola

Coca-Cola launched a new flavor co-created by artificial intelligence. The company’s calling it the soda “from the future,” and it’s available for a limited time in both regular and zero sugar. It’s called Y3000, with a flavor described as resembling a raspberry slushy. Coke also tasked AI to help design the artwork on the slim can, which looks like a Now That’s What I Call Music CD case from the early ’00s. Inspired.

Continue reading.

America’s largest independent video store is taking its DVD-by-mail service nationwide

Your application has to be manually approved, though.

Talking of blasts from the past, want to rent a DVD? Netflix is winding up that part of its business later this month, but if you’re one of its subscribers sad to see the service go, there’s now another rent-by-mail option. Scarecrow, the largest independent video store in the US, has launched its own rent-by-mail service, which will send DVDs and Blu-ray discs straight to your door. Scarecrow has 140,000 titles — comparably, Netflix has around 5,000 titles in its US catalog, according to CordCutting — most of which you can rent by mail. There are exceptions, however, including rare and out-of-print videos, which require a security deposit, newly released movies and adult titles.

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Microsoft reveals its underwhelming Xbox Game Pass Core library

It’s a solid, if not especially exciting, blend of first- and third-party games.

Xbox Live Gold will be no more after today. Replacing it is a new tier of Game Pass called Xbox Game Pass Core. It’s a different offering to Games with Gold in that there will be a rotating library of a few dozen games. There are some solid, if cheap / old games, including Vampire Survivors, Celeste, Doom Eternal and Dishonored 2, but it’s not the most exciting selection assembled for this base version of Game Pass.

Continue reading.

You might see more sponsored recommendations when you fire up your Spotify app, now that the music streaming giant has started offering artists a new paid tool they can use to promote their music. "Showcase" gives artists a way to put their music in front of more people, whether their tunes are newly released or are something from deep in their catalog. They can create multiple campaigns for different content, and they can use Spotlight to promote not just singles, but also EPs and albums. 

These sponsored recommendations will appear under various headlines — succinct information about them designed to get your attention, really — provided by Spotify, depending on what the artist's team chooses. They can promote their stuff as "new music," for instance, or use the headline "on tour," if they're on the road and want to drum up more interest. In the image above, the single that's being promoted entitled White Winter Hymnal uses the headline "seasonal vibes." In addition, artists can choose the people they want to target and can go for both active listeners and previous ones. 

According to Spotify, Showcase ads will be shown in 30 markets. The streaming giant also claims that people who do see them are six times more likely to stream whatever it is being promoted. If you stream music you've seen through a particular Showcase ad, you won't see it again for 28 days. Musicians are charged per click, after all, with prices starting at 40 cents. Initially, though, Spotify will only offer Showcase to artists with at least 1,000 streams over the past 28 days and whose billing country is set to the US. It will roll out the tool within the Campaigns tab for eligible artists in the US over the coming weeks, but it says it will expand access to it worldwide over time. 

After September 29th, Netflix will no longer rent DVDs by mail and will be winding down that part of its business altogether. Most people might be surprised that the streaming giant is still even renting DVDs, but if you're one of its subscribers who'll be sad to see the service go, there's now another rent-by-mail option you can use anywhere you are in the US. Scarecrow, the largest independent video store in the US, has launched its own rent-by-mail service that will send DVDs and Blu-ray discs straight to your door. 

The store first piloted the service back in 2019 before it started working on making its library available to people across the country during the pandemic. As The Seattle Times reports, it launched a campaign in 2021 to raise funds for an overhaul of its aging website, making it more searchable and giving it a more modern look. Now, Scarecrow's rent-by-mail website is live, with step-by-step instructions on how to avail of the service and a searchable library divided by genres. 

To be able to rent from Scarecrow, you'll need to sign up for an account, which will have to be verified and approved by a staff member. After that, you can start adding DVDs to your cart. Titles are priced individually, but shipping will cost you $12 for up to six discs. That's discs, not titles, which means if one movie has six discs, you can't add more to the same shipment. The rental window is 14 days, including shipping, after that you can either renew by phone or pay late fees. 

Scarecrow has 140,000 titles in its collection — comparably, Netflix has around 5,000 titles in its US catalog, according to CordCutting — most of which you can rent by mail. There are exceptions, however, including rare and out of print videos that require a security deposit, newly released movies and adult titles. It also doesn't mail VHS tapes and laser discs, so you'll have to go elsewhere for those formats. 

Bluesky, one of the most notable alternatives to the platform formerly known as Twitter, has just hit a million users. That's admittedly tiny compared to the number of users on major social networks, but it's a big deal for a service that remains inaccessible to most people until today. Bluesky team member Rose Wang, who has announced the milestone on X, told TechCrunch that the service's app reached a million downloads in July. However, those interested in getting in on the action at Bluesky will have to secure invite codes to log in, and it's only now that enough people were able to create accounts for the social network to be able to announce that it has reached 1 million users. 

Bluesky first burst into the scene as a decentralized social network (previously) funded by Twitter and backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Shortly after it launched in closed beta, it rolled out the ability for users to choose their own algorithms so that they can customize their timelines. And in its bid to remain ad-free, it started offering a paid domain service as a way for users to verify their identity. It's unclear when the app will open to the public, and, upon checking, some codes are still being sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars. 

Meta, on the other hand, chose to make Threads available to everyone from the get-go, even though it was still lacking a number of critical features. Threads reached 100 million users merely a week after it became available in July, but keyword search only started rolling out earlier this month. 

Influencers have been using TikTok to land brand deals and promote products for years, but now the company is ushering in a more formal shopping experience. TikTok is launching its e-commerce product in the United States in an attempt to capitalize on the app's popularity, and turn its viewers into consumers. In a recent blog post, the company announced its TikTok Shop — which includes a host of features for users, content creators and businesses.

The TikTok Shop includes a “Shop Tab” for businesses to display their products, affiliate videos placed in users' feeds that allow creators to earn commissions and shopping ads for businesses. TikTok is also launching its own logistics arm called “Fulfilled by TikTok,” which will facilitate storage and shipping for registered merchants.

In an interview with The New York Times, TikTok executive Nico Le Bourgeois said the TikTok Shop had more than 200,000 registered sellers, with over 100,000 creators already having access to its livestream shopping buttons. Bourgeois went on to discuss the company's plans to shake up the industry.

“We have a very aggressive plan to make a splash in the industry and make sure that people out there understand that TikTok is a place for shopping,” he said. “We’ll be very present for Black Friday and Cyber Monday through a combination of traffic, free shipping and deals.”

TikTok Shop is based on a similar and hugely successful feature on its sister app, Douyin, available across Asia. While there's no doubt that hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has fueled product discovery on TikTok, live shopping hasn't quite taken off in the US yet. Of course, TikTok isn't the first social media app to attempt a pivot to e-commerce. Meta has tried for years with Facebook and Instagram. Pinterest has also been navigating the e-commerce waters by offering its users an easier and faster way to by what they see. However, those efforts have not skyrocketed just yet.

As of right now, the Shop Tab is available for 40 percent of TikTok users. The feature will be rolled out gradually and become available for all users by early October.