It’s becoming more plausible that Cyberpunk 2077‘s map will be smaller than CD Projekt Red’s previous open-world RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt–if a new art book is anything to go by.

The World of Cyberpunk 2077, a 192-page art book published by Dark Horse Books, is available now to pre-order on Amazon. The $100 Deluxe Edition, which comes with a bevy of stickers and a Johnny Silverhand poster, seemingly reveals a portion of Cyberpunk 2077’s map on its cover. The game’s map cuts off at the top, so it’s unclear if this is where the world in-game ends or if there is more to explore beyond this point.

CDPR has said that Cyberpunk 2077 will feature a “denser” map than The Witcher 3, telling Gamesradar that the upcoming open-world first-person shooter might be a little smaller than the studio’s previous games but is packed with much more content.

“If you look at pure surface, right–square kilometres–then Cyberpunk 2077 might be a little bit smaller than The Witcher 3,” said producer Richard Borzymowski. “But when it comes to the density of content, you basically take the world of The Witcher and squeeze it right in, deleting the wilderness between this.”

In other Cyberpunk 2077 news, CDPR has announced that the game will receive online multiplayer at some point after the game releases. While there’s no confirmation on when multiplayer will come to Cyberpunk 2077, the studio did state in an earnings report that some form of microtransactions in the works.

Cyberpunk 2077 lands on April 16, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It will also launch on Google Stadia at some point.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cyberpunk-2077s-map-allegedly-revealed-in-new-art-/1100-6471869/

Sony has been prompted by the FBI to hand over information on a PlayStation 4 user that allegedly used the system’s online services to distribute thousands of dollars of cocaine, according to Vice.

The search warrant application, filed in October 2019 in Missouri, is ordering Sony to disclose any and all information for a man named Curtis “Dola” Alexander, including the games he played, his progress in those games, the physical address and telephone numbers associated with his account, and more.

The FBI alleges that Alexander, under the username “Speedola20,” was in contact with someone through the PlayStation Network to coordinate a $34,000 per kilogram sale of cocaine. The application reports that a Confidential Human Source (or CHS), who said Alexander contacted them “during game,” helped the FBI in the investigation.

The application later notes that a trap was set for the Bureau to surveil Alexander selling the CHS a bag of approximately 100 grams of white powder for $4,400. After the sale, Alexander told the CHS they would talk later in the game, though what game Alexander was using has not been named. Still, it has been confirmed that Alexander used PlayStation’s messaging service to get in contact with the CHS.

As aforementioned, the FBI is requesting all information on Curtis “Dola” Alexander from Sony. As well as what games he played and how far he’s gotten, the Bureau is seeking personal information about his account, such as name, physical address, telephone numbers, associated passwords, security questions and answers, and technical information such as the IP address used to register and log into the account.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fbi-files-search-warrant-to-make-sony-give-up-psn-/1100-6471865/

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4, Season 4: Operation Shifting Tides is officially live. Like previous seasons in Year 4, the Operation Shifting Tides update adds two new playable Operators. The new season makes adjustments to an old map and implements notable gameplay changes too.

The two new Operators–Jaimini Kalimohan “Kali” Shah and Ngũgĩ Muchoki “Wamai” Furaha–have already been introduced, but both have been fleshed out a little more in a brand-new trailer. In the trailer, which is embedded below, Kali is on the phone with (presumably) Team Rainbow.

Unlike the majority of Team Rainbow’s recruits, Kali and Wamai are private military contractors, so Kali isn’t willing to join the anti-terrorist group until she’s been paid. Her abrasive behavior eventually wins out, and she agrees to join Team Rainbow and bring her “best man” with her. While she haggles on the phone, Wamai is meditating underwater–showcasing how his abnormal physiology and history in the Navy allow him to hold his breath significantly longer than a normal human.

For now, Kali and Wamai have only released for Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Season Pass owners. If you don’t have the pass, you’ll have to wait until December 10–and even then, it will still cost you Renown or R6 Credits to purchase them. Regardless of whether you have the pass of not, all players now have access to the reworked Theme Park map. The old map has been changed in several ways: the train in the center is gone, the east and west sections are now closer together, and the downstairs area has been remodeled.

Of all the gameplay changes that Operation Shifting Tides brings, the biggest is the addition of limb penetration. Bullets fired from certain weapons will now penetrate through arms and legs, allowing you to potentially damage multiple enemies in a single shot. The update also adds new Operator and weapon skins and lowers the price for purchasing Hibana, Echo, Dokkaebi, Vigil, Kaid, and Nomad.

Rainbow Six Siege is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rainbow-six-siege-shifting-tides-update-is-live-tw/1100-6471864/

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has released its first season of live content on PC, PS4, and Xbox One with its first Battle Pass, as well as patch notes that cover all the changes that came along with the new content. A Battle Pass trailer also shows off some of the loot you can earn by purchasing it.

The patch notes include several of the new additions that came with the season, along with some general fixes and balance tweaks. In particular the .357 Buckshot has been nerfed, with a reduction to both damage range and hip fire damage. Several of the changes are targeted toward improving the PC experience, with changes to both KBM controls and PC shaders. You can check out the full patch notes below.

This is the first Battle Pass for Modern Warfare, which Infinity Ward is using in lieu of map packs that split the player base. The battle pass has free tiers for items that impact gameplay like new guns, but several more paid tiers include cosmetic items to earn. The battle pass costs 1,000 CoD Points (roughly $10).

Aside from the Battle Pass content, the patch adds a number of new maps (Port, Atrium, Cargo, and Crash), and two more maps (Vacant and Shipment) are coming during the season. It also adds Infected, Reinforce, and Gunfight OSP modes, while removing Gun Game, Shoot House 24/7, and 2v2 Gunfight Tournament modes from the playlist.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season One Patch Notes

PLAYLIST UPDATE:

Added:

• Crash 24/7

• Port added to Ground War

• Reinforce

• Added Rammaza and Gun Runner to TDM 20 and DOM 20

• Added night maps to Hardcore TDM, Search and Destroy, Cyber Attack

Removed:

• Gun Game (available in Private Match)

• Shoot House 24/7

• 2v2 Gunfight Tournament

GENERAL FIXES:

• Riot Shield:

  • Tuning to how the Riot Shield protects against grenades when thrown at the players’ feet

  • Reduced explosive damage within certain ranges

• Fixed a bug where the final killcam would appear under the map when a player got stuck by Thermite or Semtex on the lower part of the body

• Fixed an issue where players stuck inside the Infantry Assault Vehicle would not take damage from Thermite

• Fix for a bug where attempting to scroll to the bottom of the Recent Players list could cause the list to read “No Recent Players” and return to the top

• Gunfight (private match): Fixes ‘Win by Two’ setting to end the game properly once the conditions have been met

Missions and Challenges:

The following are now fixed and have had their descriptions updated as needed

• “Close and Personal”

• “Perks of the Job”

• “Bloodthirsty Killer”

• “Destroy Ground Killstreaks” – All player-driven vehicles will count towards this launcher camo challenge

• “Get 50 kills while an enemy UAV is active” – description updated to reflect that the Ghost perk needs to be equipped in order to complete

• Combat Knife challenge descriptions updated

• .357 camo challenge

• Various updates to other camo challenges

• Fix for Officer Challenge completion notifications not appearing on screen

Killstreaks:

• Improved effectiveness of FMJ on Killstreaks

• Fix for the Cluster Strike dealing damage inconsistently when targeting a VTOL jet

Weapons:

• .357: Buckshot: reduced damage range, reduced effective hip fire damage. Tuned spread adjustments from barrel attachments

• Menu damage stat bar adjustments for miscellaneous LMGs

• Fixed a bug where the informant can be dropped in bad positions/near enemy soldiers in Operation Harbinger

• Added a checkpoint after the third hack on Operation Brimstone

• Fix for a bug where players could become stuck after going into last stand while breaching the trains on Operation Brimstone

• Enemies in white trucks now exit their vehicles

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE

• Leaderboards will no longer display complete gamertags. This should help higher profile leaderboards users from receiving too many invites

• Fixed an issue where players would not be able to mantle while strafing with keyboard and mouse

• Increased the turn-rate when aiming with a tank

• Adjusted the camera orbit turn-rate while driving a vehicle using keyboard and mouse

• The keybind “Vehicle Camera Recenter” is now linked to Melee by default (default on E / Mouse 4) and the re-centering of the camera has been improved

COD CASTER

• Improvements for the camera transitions with Free Camera and Aerial Camera

• Added a Killstreak view option when using the Portrait List

• Added arrows under the players when using the Aerial Camera view

• Added a skull icon on the Minimap where players die

PC

Shaders

Fixed an issue that forced shaders to be fully re-compiled after each title update. Shader installation should be expected mainly for new content, drivers update or changing the video card. New optimizations or bugfix that require modifying the shaders can also trigger part or the totality of the shaders to be re-compiled.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-season-one-update-patc/1100-6471862/

Quantic Dream, the French studio behind adventure games like Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain, has been ordered to pay more than $7000 to an ex-employee for the circulation of vulgar images, according to a report by French publication Le Monde (translated via Gamasutra).

Le Monde reports that Quantic Dream remained “passive” as vulgar images of an ex-employee “performing a salute Nazi” circulated around the studio. In the face of Quantic Dream knowing about and doing nothing to prevent these images from propagating, a French judge ordered the studio to pay a total of €7,000 (or approximately $7,753) for an infringement of the employee’s security.

“By remaining passive in the face of this more than questionable practice, which can not be justified by the ‘humorous’ spirit prevailing in society, the employer has committed a breach of the security obligation [vis-à-vis its employees],” said the judge in a translated statement.

Quantic Dream, who will pay €5,000 (~$5,538) directly to the ex-employee plus €2,000 (~$2,215) for legal fees, released a statement on Twitter saying it has no plans to appeal the decision.

This case is the latest against Quantic Dream, a studio that, according to reports from 2018, allegedly fosters a toxic work environment. The French judge who handed out the ruling called these images “homophobic, misogynistic, racist, or deeply vulgar” and condemned the studio for its inaction.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/detroit-become-human-developer-ordered-to-pay-up-o/1100-6471859/