The line between loot boxes and gambling is very thin, and the restrictions are designed to improve protection for all players.

The Ukie, the body that represents gaming companies, says the 11 new guidelines “underline the industry’s commitment to safe and responsible gaming”.

Loot boxes are a way to spend real money to obtain digital items such as new characters, in-game clothing, weapons, moves or experience points. Exactly what you get with each box is random. Some compare them to buying a Kinder egg or a pack of football stickers. Others say it’s like using a slot machine.

The UK government has been trying to find a solution to the problem for three years, from threats to ban their use by under-18s in the UK to an injunction last summer that games companies must create new rules to protect children and young people.

Some countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, believe that these boxes lead to gambling addiction.

In July last year, then culture minister Nadine Dorries said that as evidence of loot boxes was still emerging, “direct government intervention could lead to unintended consequences”.

Nadine Dorries also said at the time that before any new laws are introduced, the gaming industry must come up with its own measures. It took nearly 12 months for those measures to be agreed.

The software, which was highlighted by anti-cheat group ACPD, reportedly utilises PC passthrough via network streaming or a capture card to bypass console platform security. A promotional video suggests that it then uses AI to detect elements of the video feed passing through the PC software, such as enemy movement and specific weapons being used, in order to activate the auto-aim and auto shoot cheats. ACPD explained:

“The cheat uses machine learning and sends input to your controller whenever it sees a valid target. This is aim assist but more amplified without you even needing to do anything all you have to do is aim in the general area and the machine will do the work for you”.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the next generation of cheating now available on console, and has been for a while but lately its been becoming more popular and more of a trend, consoles are no longer a safe space to play your games legit anymore pic.twitter.com/iEQzPVFf1h

— Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) July 5, 2021

In recent years cheating has been a big problem for many popular PC games, but console players have been relatively protected by the closed nature of those platforms.

Software like the above, however, could in theory make cheats such as auto-aim far more common on PlayStation and Xbox, because it bypasses console security by passing through a PC, ACPD said that while cheat software like the one mentioned on this page can still be detected by Sony and Microsoft, they would be far more difficult to do so than traditional cheats. In April, the creative director of Call of Duty: Warzone told VGC he shares fan frustration over cheating in the battle royale game, which has been a prominent issue since launch.

Warzone’s popularity has made it a target for cheaters hoping to gain an in-game advantage over other players, and perhaps worse still, people masquerading as cheat sellers with more malicious intent. Amos Hodge said he was “upset” that cheaters are “ruining some of the best work” he’s ever done. He said:

“Cheating is handled by our security team. But what I will say is that we have reporting tools, we ban a ton of people and no one hates the cheaters more than we do. We make this content for the players and while you’re upset that it ruined your game, I’m upset that it’s ruining some of the best work that I’ve done in my life. I made this content for players and I know that everyone around the team feels that way. We put our hearts into this content, we have 100 million players, it’s been out a year, this is a huge stage and some of the best work we’ve ever done, and to have cheaters come in and ruin the game bothers us more than anyone. I know the security team is on top of it and they’re continually going to make updates.”

Activision has said it’s dedicating resources 24/7 to identify and combat cheats, including aimbots, wallhacks, trainers, stats hacks, texture hacks, leaderboard hacks, injectors, hex editors and any third party software that is used to manipulate game data or memory.

Sony announced its acquisition of Housemarque in a post to the PlayStation Blog. Ilari Kuittinen, the Co-founder and Managing Director of Housemarque penned an open letter about joining PlayStation Studios.

“We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family! This gives our studio a clear future and a stable opportunity to continue delivering on gameplay centric approaches, while still experimenting with new methods of narrative delivery and pushing the boundaries of this modern art form. Locally here in Helsinki, this also means that we will officially expand the PlayStation family to a growing industry hub and secure the legacy of the oldest game studio in Finland.”

Housemarque most recently released Returnal earlier this year as a PS5 exclusive. The developer was also behind Nex Machina and Resogun. As a part of the PlayStation Studios family, Housemarque will exclusively develop games for Sony’s line of consoles. We recently saw Sony acquire Insomniac Games, the developers behind Marvel’s Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

Sony cites the success of Returnal as one of the driving forces behind the decision to acquire the studio.

Sony had blocked cross-platform play, which allows people to play the same video game together on different platforms, in the past for titles including Minecraft and Rocket League. Both those titles feature Xbox and Nintendo Switch cross-play capabilities.

There are rumours that new emails and documents in the court case have revealed the extent to which Sony has been against the possibility of cross-play for Epic’s game Fortnite. Sony eventually allowed it for Fortnite in 2018. Joe Kreiner — Epic’s vice president of business development — wrote an email to Sony proposing that cross-play would be “a huge win for us all”. He also wrote:

“We announce cross-play in conjunction with Sony. Epic goes out of its way to make Sony look like Heroes.”

Gio Corsi, who was Sony’s senior director of developer relations at the time, wrote:

“cross-platform not a slam dunk no matter the size of the title. As you know, many companies are exploring this idea and not a single one can explain how cross-console play improves the PlayStation business”.

Tim Sweeney, Epic Games CEO, has confirmed as part of his testimony on May 2, 2021, that Sony is the only platform holder that requires compensation for cross-play, backing up a document from August 2019 that was included in the evidence for the court case.

There is no confirmation that Sony ultimately followed these policy outlines, and currently, Sony supports cross-play for a handful of titles including Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, Minecraft, and recent release MLB The Show 21, which was the first Sony published game to launch on Game Pass.

You can follow Gabinka on her social media channels:  YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Who are you and why did you choose the programming world for your professional path?

Hi, thank you for inviting me to this interview. I am Gabriella, some of you may know me as “Gabinka” on some social media. I am currently a streamer and YouTuber, but also at the same time, I am studying informatics at Plovdiv University. I choose this path because I have always been interested in programming. I have always been good at maths so I think this was the main reason. I really like what I am doing 🙂

What programming languages do you currently use?

I think I am more of a front-end girl like HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript. I am playing more with JavaScript these days, not sure if I am very good at it but I am trying, I am giving my best.

Do you think that one successful YouTuber earns as much money as one successful programmer?

I think so. I think so because nowadays being a successful YouTuber takes you a lot of time. So, if you spend enough time and effort I think you can earn as much as one successful programmer.

Are there software developers among your followers and friends? 

Yes, a lot of them are mainly because I study informatics and my boyfriend used to study that hence, a lot of our friends are programmers, or they currently study that.

Tell me about the games you play on a regular basis these days. How has your taste in games shaped?

Most of the times I stream the games I am playing because I am also editing videos, having photoshoots and everything else. Therefore, I am mainly playing on my streams.

The games I play most of them are common, and the games that my people want me to play. At the same time, I choose my games in terms of graphics, colours. I am a very colourful person and I love playing around with colours. These are some of the main reasons I am playing one game: because it’s colourful and it has my eye on it.

What was the first computer game that you were really excited about?

Every new game I buy I am very excited about. It’s been I think Slime Rancher, Paladins, Fortnite. Again, very colourful games.

Have you ever given up on a game?

When I play or buy a game it’s like I am spending a lot of time on it, a lot of effort, but sometimes I just get bored and leave the game for a while, like for a week or two and then I am like: “Ohhh, I used to play that cool game” and then I am coming back on it.

How did you start making YouTube videos?

I have always wanted to be a YouTuber but my first idea was to post cover videos because I used to go on singing lessons, competitions, etc. So, when I met my boyfriend, he was already a YouTuber. He had around 40.000 subscribers on YouTube and I found that very cool and I said to myself: “OMG, I definitely have to try this.”

So, he gave me a bit of confidence and that’s how I started.

Who is your favourite YouTuber or what are your favourite videos to watch?

Most of the videos that I watch are connected with the games I play, the software I am using right now. I watch a lot of videos like how to do something in the game, or how to show my people how to do something in the game.

What other kinds of things do you use your computer for?

Editing. A lot of editing, and some graphic design. I think these are all the things: filming, editing, photoshop and graphic design.

Do gamers possess different personalities and appearance compared to other people?

They might possess, but I am trying to be myself in the games and in my streams. I know that my people are watching me and I want to be who I am. I don’t want to pretend to be someone else. What is more, I also think that this is one of the main reasons why they watch me.

What are your views and expectations about the 2021 Gaming Marathon, Bulgaria?

I really love the idea of this marathon, especially in the current situation because we haven’t been part of a fan meeting since the first quarantine and it’s been really hard to communicate with our audience. Of course, they want to be part of everything that happens, they want to take pictures with us and play with us. I think this marathon is a very good opportunity to communicate with our community and play with them, have fun with them so I am very glad that I am part of it along with other YouTubers. The audience has a big variety to choose who to watch and we promise everyone that it will be very cool. We will play games all day, so come and join us to have fun together 🙂

What is your favourite snack while playing games?

Probably some sweets like chocolate and always have a coffee or an energy drink – that’s a must.

Do you prefer your eggs fried or scrambled? 

Probably fried. I like to keep things simple and organised.

Do you use different jargon or slang words in the gaming world? 

I am not sure that I am using it but probably that’s because I am playing games every day. I think that some of these words are actually becoming part of my everyday language.

What are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Of course, I don’t want to stop filming videos for YouTube, but maybe they will be more “mummy-oriented” probably. I really hope I will never give up on games because I love doing this. In a professional plan, maybe to be a successful developer or graphic designer because these are the two options that I am still wondering about ☺

This is the first edition of the Gaming Marathon for this year, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic situation it still managed to provide us quality information, and a funny and competitive environment straight from the gaming industry.

Check the participants’ list, sponsors, the raffle, the marathons’ sales, the main event and the program from here.

What is more, the Gaming Marathon Main Event will be the culmination of the whole project where 16 participants will be able to prove their powers and knowledge in the Trivia Quiz Show. This two-hour show will test the gamers knowledge in 5 different categories, which are still kept a secret.

The winner will get all the prizes – acrobatic tandem flight with Veselin Ovcharov – one of the most experienced acro-paragliders in Bulgaria and a personalised desk with a lifting mechanism from HealthyDesk because the gaming environment requires a healthy and comfortable workplace.

The show will start today (04.05.2021) at 21:00 on the TBD play Facebook page.

More details are yet to be announced.

PS: Don’t forget to check frequently our content frequently. You might see some familiar faces from the Gaming Marathon soon who will give us more detailed information hot from the gaming zone oven. 

Here is a little tip about our first close-up interview: She is a colourful, funny and very pretty person. A YouTuber, developer and gamer, currently building her career in the IT industry.

Like everyone else, the game industry has also been coloured by the pandemic, and 44% of all game developers surveyed had the feeling that the game they worked on was delayed because of it. 49% thought it was not late, and the rest answered that they are not working on any game at the moment. In 2020, 33% answered that COVID-19 had delayed their work, which means an increase of 11 percentage points.

However, it should be pointed out that this only indicates the number of developers who have worked on overdue projects, and it does not take into account whether the participants are working, for instance, on the same project. However, 2021 has enough delay to fill its long lists, and it has influenced headlines like Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo Infinite.

According to the 2021 State of the Game Industry report, participants encountered difficulties working remotely in terms of collaboration and communication, which was a contributing factor to the delayed headlines. Despite this, the majority of developers say that working from home did not affect their creativity or productivity, while 35% saw working at home as an improvement.

Jean-Michel Detoc, Executive Director of Ubisoft Mobile

Ubisoft has acquired 75% of Berlin-based developer, Kolibri Games. The studio, known for its experience in the mobile free-to-play space, is one of the leaders of the “idle” games genre and publishes Idle Miner Tycoon, which has been downloaded by more than 104 million players. The approximately 100-person team has shown lasting dedication to their game by releasing more than 160 content updates since launch.

“We are strengthening our ‘idle’ games portfolio with the acquisition of Kolibri Games,” says Jean-Michel Detoc, Executive Director of Ubisoft Mobile. “One of the leaders in the segment, whose flagship game Idle Miner Tycoon has grown steadily since 2016. We are delighted that this great talented team, recognized for the longevity of their flagship title, is joining Ubisoft.”

Daniel Stammler, co-CEO and co-founder of Kolibri Games

“Ubisoft is a creative powerhouse and one of the strongest brands in the games industry – we are humbled to be invited to join this great family,” says Daniel Stammler, co-CEO and co-founder of Kolibri Games. “This marks a high point in the history of our young company and will enable us to expand our development.”

The acquisition of Kolibri was completed on January 31 and gives Ubisoft the option of gradually raising its stake in Kolibri Games to 100% over the next four years.

Troy is the latest edition of the Total War series, with story, inspired by Homer’s Iliad. The game takes us back to the events surrounding the Trojan War and exploits some of the most popular heroes of the time.

Through Total War’s unique blend of grand, turn-based empire management and spectacular real- time battles, Troy explores this epic conflict from both the Greek and Trojan perspectives.

The battlefields will tremble under the feet of renowned warriors like Achilles and Hector but it will take more than brute force alone to lay claim to the legendary city of Troy. Players will need to deftly manage a barter economy, conduct diplomacy among friends and foes, and curry the very favour of the Gods themselves before etching your name in the annals of history.

With the support of the English studio, the Bulgarian branch of Creative Assembly is the leading studio in the development of the game. The local team is responsible for all major components of the game, including stories, design, units, game mechanics, art, animations etc.

The game is expected in 2020 on Steam platform.