Bandai Namco trademarks Sparking! Zero in the U.S.

With just a touch of bravado, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (or Europol) has announced «a major blow» to the Ragnar Locker ransomware group. To you and me, that name is mostly familiar because of the organisation's 2020 attack on Capcom, which saw it demand $11 million and affect around 400,000 people's data. 

On the surface, Five Nights at Freddy’s seems like it checks all of the boxes of a terrifying horror movie. A claustrophobic setting? Yes. Mysterious disappearances? Yes. Jumpscares? Yes. Killer robots? Quadruple yes. 

Regions play a big part of defining the series, but the games don't always do a perfect job of rendering their settings in a way that makes sense. Earlier titles all featured regions based on areas of Japan, while later entries have taken on a number of other cultural inspirations. Although the prevailing influence of one real-world environment can always be felt in a region, certain elements can feel anatopic in a way that ultimately doesn't make complete sense.

By Nathan Edwards, a senior reviews editor who's been testing tech since 2007. Previously at Wirecutter and MaximumPC. Current fixations: keyboards, DIY tech, and the smart home.

The most-played Steam Next Fest demos have been revealed, and I'm not surprised to see what's topped the list. 

Encrypted messaging service Signal is debunking rumors that the app suffers from a serious vulnerability that opens users to attack.

Well, this is just Trubbish. The Van Gogh Museum, which recently held a Pokemon collab that got a bit hectic, announced it will no longer distribute its Pikachu promo card at the physical exhibit starting October 14. If you want the Pikachu in Grey Felt Hat collaboration card, you’ll have to shop online for a qualifying purchase.

Microsoft has finally closed their deal to acquire and merge with Activision Blizzard King.

World of Warships   is celebrating Halloween and collaborating with fantasy strategy title Heroes of Might and Magic III. Expect six  new themed commanders with voiceovers, a special map, and a special DLC bundle. Aside from the collaboration, the Halloween themed update introduces an updated operation, several new Japanese battleships, and much more on the way.

A brand new poster for Studio Ghibli’s latest animated fantasy has been revealed, teasing the global releases of Hayao Miyazaki’s newest movie.

Bandai Namco has filed a new US trademark for the name «Sparking! Zero».

Despite the resurgence of farming RPGs, the Harvest Moon series has been disappointing fans for the better part of a decade, but it looks like the latest entry, The Winds of Anthos, might finally have the name that started it all back on track. All it took was one look at the dinosaurs to sell me.