Gaming in Russia. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Troubled European publishing giant Embracer Group has sold Saber Interactive as part of a bid to leave Russia.

Embracer Group has entered into an agreement to sell Saber Interactive to Beacon Interactive, a company controlled by Saber Interactive co-founder Matthew Karch, for a purchase price of USD $247 million, the company announced.

Saber Interactive has split from Embracer, with at least 38 ongoing game development projects among the divested assets and over 3,000 staff moving across. However, a number of key studios remain at Embracer, including Tripwire, Aspyr, and Beamdog.

Embracer Group has announced the $247 million sale of Saber Interactive to Beacon Interactive, a new parent company that is owned by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch.

Recent reports had indicated that Saber Interactive was on the verge agreeing a deal with parent company Embracer Group that would see it going independent. That has now been officially confirmed.

Troubled video game publisher Embracer has announced the sale of more of its assets — this time, large portions of Saber Interactive, for the price of $247m.

A Dragon’s Dogma 2 player has recently recreated the famous pop star Kanye West in the game and shared a small tutorial explaining how others could achieve the same result. Since the release of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s character creator, many gamers are coming up with well-made new heroes, showcasing the tool's power and their creativity.

In the violent future of Helldivers 2, the United Kingdom no longer exists on Super Earth, it would seem. The co-op shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios has become a smash hit thanks to its gameplay and sci-fi story that blends classic tropes and dark, cynical humor. Lots of gamers love Helldivers 2 and are always eager to learn more about its world and backstory.

Saber Interactive has removed references to Embracer Group from its website, suggesting reports of a sale are accurate.

Yesterday, as many as two asteroids passed Earth by a close margin. Both these space rocks were designated as Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). Despite their close approaches, these asteroids were predicted not to impact Earth and that is what happened as they flew by harmlessly. But how are these asteroids monitored in the first place? NASA says as soon as its telescopes track a new NEA, the asteroid's observed positions in the sky are tracked by astronomers and reported to the Minor Planet Center. Then, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) determines its most likely orbit around the Sun by studying the data. Using this technique, NASA has shed light on an asteroid that is expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, March 13.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has been dishing out updates at a steady pace ever since launch, tweaking and adding certain things to try and make its game the best it can be. Some of these changes haven't been all that well-received, but the game's most recent patch has finally made things a little easier on players by lowering the spawn rate of Bile Titans and Chargers, two bug variants that have been causing trouble lately.

Helldivers 2 lore is fairly straightforward: bugs and automatons are bad, managed democracy is good. So what's going on at the heart of this democracy, Super Earth? Well, the devs over at Arrowhead have given us a rare glimpse into what's going on there, but it only raises more questions than answers.

A Dragon’s Dogma 2 player has used the game’s character creation system to make a hero inspired by the Gigachad meme. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not even out yet, as it’ll only be released on March 22, but it’s already catching the attention of the community with these amazing creations.

NASA's Crew 7 mission is poised to conclude its six-month residency aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with seven astronauts preparing to return to Earth. Throughout their extended stay, these astronauts have been diligently engaged in conducting several scientific experiments and technology demonstrations aimed at benefiting humanity and advancing NASA's readiness for future space missions.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has revealed its next Victim character, Virginia, who is voiced by a popular horror actress. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's next addition does not have an exact release date yet, but publisher Gun Interactive shared plenty of details about the character.

Microsoft has admitted that a January cyberattack allowed hackers to eventually gain access to the company's «source code repositories and internal systems.» Microsoft says the attack was carried out by hacking group Midnight Blizzard, which is supported by the Russian government.

Russian state-sponsored hackers have managed to access some of Microsoft’s source code repositories and internal systems, the US company said on Friday.

With the help of its advanced ground and space-based telescopes, NASA has revealed that as many as four asteroids are expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, March 8. Most of these asteroids revolve around the Sun in their orbits but they can come close to the planet on certain occasions. This happens when an asteroid interacts with a large planet's gravitational field which can send it tumbling towards the planet for potential impact. Thus, it is imperative to keep an eye on these asteroids to minimize the uncertainties around their close approaches.

NASA has called for new astronauts, offering the opportunity to journey to the moon and potentially even Mars! With applications due on April 2, U.S. citizens with a passion for space exploration are encouraged to apply for this prestigious role that promises to push the boundaries of human discovery.

After the public legal hubbub that surrounded the original The Sinking City, developer Frogwares is back to focusing on expanding the franchise – and it’s announced a sequel for PS5, which is currently slated for release in 2025. The Sinking City 2 is set in 1920s America, when a supernatural flood brings Eldritch-like horrors to the city of Arkham. This is being billed as a brand-new, standalone story, unrelated to the original.

2019’s The Sinking City was a solid entry in the growing catalogue of Lovecraft-inspired horror and adventure games, which later became better-known for the bitter legal battle over the game between developer Frogwares and publisher Nacon. Frogwares was ultimately successful in that battle, and today during the latest Xbox Partner Preview showcase, they announced The Sinking City 2 is on the way.

Ukrainian developer Frogwares has announced The Sinking City 2, for launch on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.

During today's Xbox Partner Preview event, Frogwares unveiled The Sinking City 2 following a lengthy legal battle over publishing rights for the first game.

An unannounced console game bundle that seemingly features the first three entries of the STALKER franchise has appeared online. The beloved shooter series' next game, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, is set to launch later in 2024.

It's been a long time coming for a variety of reasons, but by the end of 2024, Stalker 2 will almost certainly be here. The sequel was first announced in 2012, canceled, rebooted in 2018, and has since had its release date pushed back a few times, most notably when development at Ukrainian studio GSC Game World was disrupted by the Russian invasion. With six months to go until Stalker 2, console players may finally get the chance to play the series' original trilogy.

You could be forgiven for thinking the video game industry is collapsing, and you may be wondering why. Last week, PlayStation announced it was laying off over 900 employees and shutting its long-running London Studio, and it’s not alone. There have been thousands upon thousands of jobs cut across the entire industry, and virtually every major publisher and platform holder has been affected. So, why is it happening and what does it all mean?

There are precious few games set in turn-of-the-century Warsaw, and it’s one of several aspects with which distinguishes itself from the pack. This historical dark fantasy RPG is the sophomore release from Polish studio Fool’s Theory, whose 2017 cyberpunk action-RPG echoes the almost irresponsibly bold design decisions and ambitious intentions of their newest project. is a meaty, detailed exploration of Polish history and Western political progress, crafted around a worthy concept that is ultimately more interesting than just “Slavic .”

A newly emerged job listing from Rockstar may have helped narrow down the Grand Theft Auto 6 release window, suggesting that the highly anticipated game could hit the market as early as Q2 2025. But even if Rockstar is indeed targeting that time frame, Grand Theft Auto 6 still has a chance to slip into the second half of 2025.

SpaceX rocket was successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, along Florida's Atlantic coast today and it is heading to the International Space Station. The spacecraft consists of a capsule called Endeavour which is carrying four astronauts in a 16-hour flight to the ISS. Crew members are expected to reach the ISS on Tuesday if everything goes as planned. Know more about the SpaceX rocket launch and the Crew-8 mission here.

Swedish gaming company Embracer Group AB will sell one of its largest subsidiaries, Saber Interactive, to a group of private investors in a deal worth up to $500 million (roughly Rs. 4,142 crore), according to a person familiar with the transaction.

Yohane the Parhelion: NUMAZU in the MIRAGE developer BeXide has announced 3D physics puzzle game Fruit Mountain for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch in 2024 with English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Portugeues, Russian, German, French, Spain, and Italian language support.

Embracer Group are reportedly selling off Saber Interactive, the company behind the Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic remake and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 among many other things. Apparently, Saber are being flogged to a group of private investors for "up to" $500 million.

Embracer Group is reportedly set to sell Saber Interactive in a deal worth up to $500 million.

But instead of getting their hands on the handsets, police and prosecutors in Iran allege customers found themselves ensnared by a business owner running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

IDW's groundbreaking limited series, TMNT: The Last Ronin, was published between 2020 and 2022 and told the story of the last of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Michelangelo, as he embarked on a quest to avenge his three fallen brothers, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael. Hailed for taking the Turtles back to their grittier roots, The Last Ronin also set the stage for a new generation of turtles, whose adventures will take place in the time after the end of The Last Ronin.

EA announced that it will lay off 5% of its workforce by the end of March as part of an initiative that will also see it move away from making a lot of externally licensed games in the future.

Artificial intelligence experts and industry executives, including one of the technology's trailblazers Yoshua Bengio, have signed an open letter calling for more regulation around the creation of deepfakes, citing potential risks to society. 

Gamers who are thinking about finally buying the PlayStation 5 should consider getting one of the many PS5 bundles, which will give you more value for your hard-earned money. With more PS5 exclusives on the way, now’s a great time to finally purchase the console or to upgrade from the PlayStation 4. Check out the PS5 bundles that we’ve gathered here, just make sure that you hurry with your purchase because stocks may run out at any moment.

Google has announced its latest innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) called Gemma on the heels of the launch of Gemini Pro 1.5 Pro a few days ago. Developed by Google DeepMind, It is a family of lightweight and open AI models that Google says Gemma is built from the same research and technology that was used to create Gemini.

On the launch of iPhone 15 models, Apple claimed it had provided a vastly improved battery life and life span for users to enjoy. However, iPhone users still had doubts about these claims, especially with the iPhone 15 Pro models. Well, there is good news for all iPhone 15 series owners. In a recent report, Apple has revealed that it has doubled the battery life of iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max to adhere to its commitments. Additionally, with the iOS 17.4 update, users will be able to see their iPhone's battery health. Know about the iPhone 15 battery life upgrade here.

AI roundup: In today's AI news, one of the top engineering institutes in India and BharatGPT are set to launch ChatGPT-style service “Hanooman” which is backed by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd. In other news, scientists took advantage of AI to predict how agricultural land suitability may change by 2050. Know more about what happened in the world of AI today, February 21, 2024.

Quordle today: In Quordle, guessing all four words without running out of attempts can be considered an amazing feat. Since players do not have access to any hints or clues, they must rely on their vocabulary and language skills to maintain their winning streak. The answer for Quordle today is relatively simple, with no challenging words. Thus, most players will be able to guess them within the provided number of attempts. That said, they must exercise caution and not make random guesses. To avoid losing your winning streak, we have provided hints and clues that will help you solve Quordle today. And if you wish to see the answer, simply scroll to the bottom.

The Samsung Galaxy S23, known for its cutting-edge features and impressive performance, has recently received a notable price cut on Amazon, making it an even more enticing option for smartphone enthusiasts. Let's delve into the details of this price reduction and explore the various discounts and offers available on this flagship device.

HanuMan OTT release: Are you a fan of classic South Indian superhero action dramas? In that case, we have exciting news for you as Teja Sajja's film HanuMan OTT release is all set to roll out. The film was recently released in theatres and gained much popularity for the storyline and acting portrayed by the actors. If you have been waiting to watch a Telugu hit movie, then add HanuMan to your watchlist as it will soon debut on the OTT platform, enabling viewers to watch the superhero action drama online from the comfort of their homes. Know more about HanuMan here and check when and where you can watch the film online.

Apple enthusiasts anticipating the next budget-friendly Apple iPhone SE may have to be very patient. In fact, the iPhone SE launch may not happen until 2025, reports suggest. While previous iterations of the iPhone SE were launched in 2020 and 2022, the Cupertino-based tech giant seems poised to skip a year before unveiling its next affordable iPhone.

Time and again, Apple Watches have come to the rescue of their wearer by alerting them of abnormal health conditions. These health anomalies have often turned out to be life-threatening issues upon further checkups. Just a few days ago, an Apple Watch saved the life of a South Carolina resident by alerting him to a sudden beginning of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Now, in yet another incident, another life has been saved courtesy of the Apple Watch. Know what happened.

As the smartphone market continues to evolve, Nothing, the innovative tech startup founded by Carl Pei, is gearing up to launch its latest offering, the Nothing Phone 2a. Breaking away from its tradition of Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, the company is set to debut its first MediaTek Dimensity-powered Nothing Phone 2a, promising budget-friendly performance without compromising on quality.

Unable to build better habits due to an ineffective schedule and busy lifestyle? We all struggle to get into a routine due to various reasons, however, most of the time the reason is the lack of motivation and unplanned schedules. To overcome the struggle of getting into an effective routine and developing healthy habits, we have found just the right tool for you. Habitify is a habit tracker app that enables users to get organized with their routines and increase productivity. With the help of this app, users can create a productive schedule by building good habits that focus on their personal and as well as professional goals. Know more about the Habitify app here.

After months of testing on animals, billionaire Elon Musk's Neuralink has begun to ‘mess' with people's heads - literally! After receiving clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a few months ago, the neurotechnology company carried out its first clinical trial last month, where it implanted a chip inside the skull of a patient. While it is an extremely risky procedure, the recipient has now fully recovered, according to Elon Musk.

After Apple Vision Pro, Apple is likely stepping into another fresh product segment - the smart ring! It may not have the overarching potential of the Vision Pro, but an Apple smart ring looks to have become important after Samsung announced its own Galaxy ring. Samsung smart ring was recently teased at the Galaxy S24 series launch event and with the official launch coming soon, Apple has reportedly accelerated its own smart ring development over the recent months. A Korean report has leaked the information without elaborating on the source of the news. It is being said that several Apple smart ring-related patents are being registered, hinting at its speedy development. Know what the new report says about the Apple iRing.

Cybercrime and malicious acts by tricksters are increasing drastically with the ever-increasing use and spread of advanced technology in almost every aspect of life. While app stores like Google Play Store and Apple App Store are strengthening their platforms to detect malicious acts, cyber criminals manage to find new ways to fool the system and get their malicious, malware-laden apps onto them. Tricksters are now fooling smartphone users by uploading malicious apps on these stores in the guise of providing free services to users and these acts are going unnoticed. Needless to say, these malware-laden apps are being used to steal data and money from innocent users. In the latest instance, it has been reported that some malicious apps with a whopping 150000 downloads were discovered in the Google Play Store. These apps are said to be spreading Anatsa banking Trojan malware to users' smartphones to gain control over their devices. Know more about these malware apps here.

After Asteroid 2024 CK5 passed Earth by a close margin a few days ago, NASA has issued yet another asteroid warning. As many as four space rocks are approaching the planet at breakneck speeds and will fly past Earth closely tomorrow, February 22. While these asteroids can sometimes come even closer to Earth than the Moon, most of them do not pose any threat and pass by relatively safely. Still, the space agencies continue to monitor their orbits for any potential collision scenarios. Know all about the close encounter with the asteroid.

Ubisoft's highly anticipated pirate-themed video game, "Skull and Bones," has finally made its debut after years of production challenges and delays. Launched on February 16, the game has gained significant attention, considering the unconventional choice of pirates as its central theme in the gaming world.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for February 21: Yesterday, we learnt information about the upcoming Bony Ring event in Garena Free Fire MAX. The information about the event was leaked by data miners, and it is said to bring rewards such as Death Walls with Me Emote, Neon Bones Parachute, Memory Celebration Grenade, In the Bones Loot Box and Memory of The Bones Bundle. But before that, another event has been introduced in Garena Free Fire MAX, and it is called the Wall Royale. Check out the details below. 

Abode Acrobat has been one of the most used PDF management tools due to its splendid features, security, and ease of use. Now, to enhance these features and accessibility, Abode has integrated an AI-powered conversational engine into the tool. Yes, you can talk to it now. These new AI features aim to “completely transform the digital document experience.” The generative AI feature will be seen in Reader and Acrobat workflows enabling users to understand long documents in just a matter of moments. Check out how the AI feature will benefit Abode Acrobat users.

An international law enforcement operation led by Britain's National Crime Agency and the FBI has arrested and indicted members of the Lockbit ransomware gang, in an unprecedented police operation that has struck one of the world's most notorious cybercrime gangs.

Yulia Navalnaya's account on Elon Musk's X social-media service was briefly suspended, a day after it was used to help her challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin over the death of her husband. The widow of opposition leader Alexey Navalny accused Putin of killing him in a video posted on her X account on Monday. That came as she announced she was taking over Navalny's role as opposition leader after his death in a remote Russian prison colony on Friday.

NBA unveils NB-AI at All Star Tech Summit for personalised game viewing; Reddit inks $60 mn AI content licensing deal ahead of IPO; UK University to train 100 Tamil Nadu students in data analysis and AI; Amitabh Bachchan celebrates 55 years in Bollywood with AI avatar- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

As many as 3 asteroids passed by Earth yesterday and all of them did so at breakneck speeds. Asteroids revolve around the Sun in their own orbits and are located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But sometimes, these space rocks interact with a large planet's gravitational field which can send them tumbling towards the planet for potential impact. Space agencies keep a check on the orbits of these space rocks to avoid a potential collision scenario. They have also developed technology to track these space rocks in their orbits, and even deflect them in case a potential impact scenario develops.

Today, on the fifth anniversary of the launch of Metro Exodus, 4A Games announced that the latest mainline installment in their franchise has sold 10 million units, thus averaging two million per year. Previous sales milestones include six million units two years ago and 8.5 million units as of last March.

So, there's pretty much a new Sea Dogs game, but first I have a lot of context to share. If you'd rather not indulge in the long and confusing history of a cult classic pirate series, just scroll down until just after the picture of some pirates in front of a ship and that'll take you straight to the point.

Asteroids are ancient space rocks floating in their orbits in space. However, sometimes they come dangerously close to a planet like Earth. This happens due to the interaction with a large planet's gravitational field, which can send the tumbling towards a planet, raising a potential impact scenario. NASA and other space agencies use advanced space and ground-based telescopes to monitor asteroids and minimize the uncertainties around their close approaches. NASA has now shed light on an asteroid that is expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, February 14.

Gord developer Covenant.dev has announced To the Star, a cooperative survival adventure game set in a fantasy realm for up to four players. It will launch first in Early Access for PC via Steam, where it will remain for approximately one year as the game is refined, polished, and balanced. It will support English, Polish, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, and Russian language options.

A Counter-Strike 2 pro is being hailed for delivering one of the greatest esports performances of all time, despite having only played in one major tournament and being just 17 years old.

Charmingly dark historical role-playing game (RPG) The Thaumaturge will get a later release than originally planned. 

A decade ago, the Earth was struck by the Chelyabinsk asteroid over Russia's Ural region. The asteroid exploded above the city and created a shockwave affecting 1500 people and destroying over 7300 buildings. It served to create fear, but more than that, it sent all the space agencies back to the drawing board to prepare contingency plans for such an event that may have far worse consequences. The fear of asteroid strike is always swings there as it had wiped out the dinosaurs from the face of Earth millions of years ago. Therefore, to study such potential Earth-striking asteroids and the impact they may have, the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space created two international bodies: the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG). These bodies will thoroughly study the risk of an asteroid strike and global response. Know more about these organizations here.

The Thaumaturge is an upcoming isometric RPG that's caught our eye with its intriguing alt-history setting, concerned with demonic beings called salutors, and coming to PS5 sometime in 2024. It takes place in Warsaw in 1905, and as a Thaumaturge, the player can commune with these dark entities in battle and out against the fearsome Russian Okhrana (the Tzar's secret police), who controls the streets with an iron fist.

The bizarre PS5 indie game INDIKA is back with a fresh trailer showcasing how the third-person action adventure plays, and it appears just as invitingly strange as its original pitch last year. Playing as a nun with the devil as your companion, you'll go on a journey of self-discovery in 19th-century Russia. Check out the gameplay trailer above.

The Thaumaturge will now launch slightly later than planned, on 4th March, despite work on the game being complete.

As a big fan of moody first-person games where you follow procedures to do a job, I'm quite interested in the recent announcement of Threshold. Made by a former Arkane level designer, it's about a train maintenance job at a border post atop the world's tallest mountain, where the air is so thin you need to huff top-ups from cans. Concrete information on Threshold is a bit thin at this point but I can tell you that you have a bucket and some planks, so what more do you need to know? Check out the announcement trailer, below.

Escape From Tarkov will offer players the opportunity to purchase additional «stash lines» to expand their in-game inventory capabilities. This upcoming addition to Escape From Tarkov was announced by Battlestate Games in its patch notes for the 0.14.1.0 update, signaling what seems to be the introduction of its first-ever microtransactions.

Escape from Tarkov has a long list list of fixes in the current update, the installation should take around four hours to complete. 

According to the recently listed Steam store page, Digital Dreams Entertainment’s Mutant Football League 2 will launch into Early Access in March 2024.

Roblox has built an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can translate supporting languages in chats in almost real-time. There is a latency of roughly about 100 milliseconds, claims the company. The online gaming platform, which has more than 70 million daily active users, created a native large language model (LLM) to build the tool that can translate any combination of 16 languages. The foundational model behind the feature puts a heavy emphasis on accuracy, fluency, as well as the context of the rest of the sentence to find the best translation.

Amid the many titles teased for the next potential State of Play, Xbox Era co-founder Nick Baker mentioned Metro. It may seem completely innocuous, but 4A Games is confirmed to be working on a new title in the post-apocalyptic series. What isn’t so apparent is that it’s rumored to be a VR title.

is widely revered as one of the most engaging and enveloping open-world experiences out there, but not every aspect of the game helps sell the immersion of the world. Although developer Rockstar Games isn't generally prone to imposing arbitrary limitations, with the series representing a gold standard for chaotic and amoral player freedom, does have slightly higher storytelling ideals than the no-holds-barred satire of A well-chosen sacrifice can be worthwhile, and it's easy to see the logic behind one restrictive decision in 's development.

is the highly anticipated sequel to the Indian Telugu-language film Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire. Directed by Prashanth Neel, it features Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles and follows the journey of two friends who become bitter rivals. The sequel promises to continue the gripping narrative of this action-packed saga.

Once every year, a select group of nuclear, climate and technology experts assemble to determine where to place the hands of the Doomsday Clock. Presented by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Doomsday Clock is a visual metaphor for humanity's proximity to catastrophe. It measures our collective peril in minutes and seconds to midnight, and we don't want to strike 12. In 2023, the expert group brought the clock the closest it has ever been to midnight: 90 seconds. On January 23 2024, the Doomsday Clock was unveiled again, revealing that the hands remain in the same precarious position.

= Microsoft Corp. said it has begun warning organizations that they were targets of the same Russian-sponsored group that hacked into its executives' emails late last year.