Epic Games Store makes a fresh exception to Adults-Only ban for blockchain games

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, PS VR, and free-to-play games topped the PlayStation Store download charts last month. 

An unnamed former Activision executive is taking the Call of Duty publisher to court in California, accusing the company of age discrimination and violating the state's whistleblower protection law. Said executive is a 57-year-old who worked at the company from 2014; apparently, he and six other men aged 47 or older were cut from a team of 200, as part of broader Activision Blizzard restructuring efforts last August.

Mickey Mouse may be known as an expressly family-friendly figure, but an upcoming horror game is taking a significantly darker route with the character. Subverting children's media as horror experiences isn't a new idea at this point, with recent years seeing a major trend of grim re-imaginings. In many cases, these fresh takes can ultimately loop back around to feeling childish in their cheap ploys for attention, but Mickey Mouse is one case where there's actually some potential to make something interesting out of the material.

Saints Row is today's free PC game available on the Epic Games Store. This will remain the last game made by Volition since the 30-year-old Illinois-based game developer was closed down earlier this year by owner Embracer Group as part of their restructuring plans.

Elon Musk's X Corp. lost its effort in court to block a California law that seeks to control toxic posts on social media by requiring companies to disclose their content-moderation polices. In an eight-page ruling Thursday, a federal judge in Sacramento rejected arguments by the company formerly known as Twitter that the measure violates the free-speech rights of social media platforms. The ruling comes after Musk ignited a firestorm in November by endorsing antisemitic posts on his platform. X Corp. Chief Executive Officer Linda Yaccarino scrambled to contain the fallout after major advertisers like Sony, Discovery, Apple and CBS stopped or paused spending on the site.

At about 1 a.m. California time in 2013, a scientist emailed Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook with an irresistible pitch. “I strongly believe that we can develop the new wave of technology that will make Apple the No. 1 brand in the medical, fitness and wellness market,” he wrote in the email, which was later included in legal documents. Some 10 hours after the message was sent, an Apple recruiter was in touch. And just weeks after that, the engineer was working at the tech company on a smartwatch with health sensors.

A US federal court ruled on Friday that social media company Twitter, now branded X, violated contracts by failing to pay annual performance bonuses it orally promised its workers.

Moonton Games is launching a one-of-a-kind collegiate esports league, Mobile Legends Bang Bang x Alchemy Esports. The league’s group stage promises intense competition among university teams in North America.

Epic Games Store has relaxed its content guidelines for publishers to allow games which have been rated Adults Only by the ESRB, so long as the rating has only been applied due to the presence of blockchain technology.

Unlike Steam, the Epic Games Store has a hard-and-fast rule against adult content. Its content guidelines state very clearly that «products with Adults Only ratings cannot be distributed on the Epic Games Store.» But it recently updated those guidelines to allow AO-rated games on the store for one specific reason: If they were given that rating because they involve blockchain trading.

The Biden administration is “tracking” the impending US ban of nearly all Apple Watch sales due to a patent dispute, with power to veto the decision resting with the US Trade Representative. 

Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay more than $54 million (and an additional $47 million for affected employees) to settle a lawsuit filed by California’s Civil Rights Department in 2021. The lawsuit was filed over accusations of sexual and gender harassment, along with discrimination, including pay disparities.