#dlc-license-checks

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Video games
fromKotaku
21 hours ago

Peak Devs Call Out Entitled Gamers Who Want Endless Free Updates

Endless support for games is not guaranteed; updates are considered a bonus, not a right.
Games
fromKotaku
1 day ago

GameStop Thought Buying Games Online Was A 'Passing Phase'

GameStop underestimated digital distribution, believing physical stores would remain dominant despite the rise of platforms like Steam.
European startups
fromTheregister
3 days ago

Microsoft to face CMA scrutiny over cloud software licensing

The UK's competition watchdog is investigating Microsoft's licensing policies for reducing competition in the cloud market.
Video games
fromKotaku
2 days ago

Capcom Cannot Stop Deliberately Breaking Its Games With DRM

Capcom's re-release of Resident Evil games on Steam includes problematic Enigma DRM, causing performance issues and user dissatisfaction.
Apple
fromMail Online
1 week ago

Apple launches AGE CHECKS in UK: iPhone users must scan ID on 18+ apps

Apple has implemented age verification checks in the UK for accessing 18+ apps, requiring users to provide ID or credit card information.
UK politics
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 week ago

Apple asks users to verify age in new software update

The Independent emphasizes the importance of accessible journalism and the need for age verification measures in technology to protect children online.
Music production
fromThe Verge
1 week ago

Spotify is letting artists manually approve releases to combat AI fakes

Spotify is testing Artist Profile Protection, allowing artists to review releases to combat impostors and AI-generated fakes.
Social media marketing
fromEngadget
1 week ago

X is changing its revenue-sharing policy to deter users pretending to be Americans

X is updating revenue-sharing to prioritize engagement from users' home regions, aiming to reduce foreign influence on US political content.
Privacy professionals
fromSecurityWeek
1 week ago

Tycoon 2FA Fully Operational Despite Law Enforcement Takedown

Tycoon 2FA continues to operate despite international takedown efforts, facilitating phishing attacks and compromising accounts without alerts.
Video games
fromEngadget
3 days ago

MindsEye will litigate its own launch 'sabotage' controversy in DLC form

Build a Rocket Boy plans to reveal evidence of corporate sabotage in a new mission for MindsEye.
Video games
fromKotaku
3 days ago

MindsEye CEO Says Was The Worst Launch Ever But It's Fun Now

MindsEye's CEO claims the game has improved post-launch despite ongoing criticism and a mixed user rating.
fromKotaku
3 weeks ago

FBI Announces Steam Investigation Into Indie Game Malware

The FBI's Seattle Division is seeking to identify potential victims installing Steam games embedded with malware. The FBI believes the threat actor primarily targeted users between the timeframe of May 2024 and January 2026.
Information security
Law
fromArs Technica
3 weeks ago

Valve compares its loot boxes to Labubus in lawsuit defense

Valve refuses to restrict item transferability and opposes New York's loot box regulations, arguing proposed oversight measures would violate user privacy and harm game innovation.
#age-verification-legislation
Privacy professionals
fromTheregister
2 weeks ago

Age verification isn't sage verification inside OSes

California's Digital Age Assurance Act attempts age verification for minors but is vague, incoherent, and creates liability risks without clearly defining compliance requirements or addressing practical implementation across diverse computing devices.
fromTechCrunch
3 weeks ago

The FBI is investigating malware hidden inside games hosted on Steam | TechCrunch

The FBI is investigating a hacker suspected of publishing several video games laced with malware on the popular PC games store Steam. In its announcement looking for victims who may have been infected, the FBI listed the following games suspected of being developed by the same cybercriminal over the last two years, hosted on the Steam store but embedded with malware: BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse/DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova.
Games
Privacy technologies
fromArs Technica
2 weeks ago

After Discord fiasco, age-check tech promises privacy by running locally. Does it work?

Age-verification systems using on-device face scans and cross-platform age keys reduce privacy risks, but widespread distrust of vendors and past data breaches undermine user confidence in these technologies.
Software development
fromTheregister
4 weeks ago

Chardlet dispute shows how AI will kill software licensing

A Python library maintainer relicensed chardet from LGPL to MIT using AI-generated code, sparking debate over whether clean room implementations bypass copyleft license requirements.
fromKotaku
2 weeks ago

Space Marine 2's Disastrous Voice Pack DLC Is Being Refunded

The Chapter Voice Pack 1 presented itself as if it were going to re-enliven the experience of playing, with all-new dialogue for your favorite characters, a purported 450 new lines, though peculiarly it was not included as part of the game's season passes but only as a standalone $5 DLC.
Video games
#loot-boxes
fromEngadget
3 weeks ago
Video games

PEGI ratings for game releases in Europe will be age-restricted if they contain loot boxes

Games
fromReadWrite
3 weeks ago

Valve disputes claims loot boxes violate gambling laws

Valve defends loot boxes as collectible products rather than gambling, arguing cosmetic-only items provide no competitive advantage while claiming to have blocked over one million accounts linked to gambling activity.
Games
fromThe Verge
3 weeks ago

Valve says it will fight New York's loot box lawsuit

Valve disputes New York AG's loot box gambling allegations, comparing mystery boxes to collectible cards and arguing items are optional cosmetics.
fromEngadget
3 weeks ago
Video games

PEGI ratings for game releases in Europe will be age-restricted if they contain loot boxes

Privacy technologies
fromTheregister
3 weeks ago

Nanny state vs. Linux: show us your ID, kid

Multiple US states now require operating system vendors to collect and store user age or date of birth, with similar laws emerging globally and threatening open-source platforms' user freedom principles.
fromKotaku
2 weeks ago

Highguard Issues Refunds on PS5 As It Goes The Way Of Concord

Players who spent money on the free-to-play shooter's battle pass or skin shop were greeted on March 17 with emails from Sony notifying them that money they'd spent on the game had been returned to their accounts. It's unclear if everyone who ever spent money on is getting it back or only those players who invested after Wildlight Entertainment announced layoffs just a few weeks after launch.
Video games
fromKotaku
2 weeks ago

'Unhackable' Xbox One Finally Hacked, 12 Years After Release

While the PlayStation 4 was considered jailbroken by 2016, the Xbox One has remained invulnerable since its release on November 22, 2013. Well, that is until very recently, as Markus 'Doom' Gaasedelen just showcased a newly discovered 'Bliss' exploit at RE//verse 2026.
Video games
Video games
fromKotaku
3 weeks ago

Crimson Desert Will Use Denuvo DRM on PC

Crimson Desert will launch with Denuvo DRM on PC, revealed one week before release, causing player backlash over the last-minute disclosure and potential performance concerns.
#age-verification
Video games
fromKotaku
3 weeks ago

Chained Echoes Dev Sues Company For Not Making Physical Copies

Chained Echoes developer Matthias Linda is terminating his relationship with First Press Games and preparing a lawsuit over the company's failure to deliver promised physical copies to Kickstarter backers since 2024.
Information security
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Hackers Raise The Alarm About Discord's Recent Age-Verification Partner - Kotaku

Persona's weak security enabled hackers to access biometric data and revealed extensive surveillance, including facial scanning against watchlists, raising privacy and government-collaboration concerns.
Privacy technologies
fromWIRED
1 month ago

The Piracy Problem Streaming Platforms Can't Solve

Piracy in MENA stems from structural barriers including lack of local platforms, payment access limitations, internet censorship, and historical perceptions of free online content rather than cultural preferences.
fromGadgets 360
2 months ago

Valve Changes Steam's AI Disclosure Rules for Game Developers

"We are aware that many modern game development environments have AI powered tools built into them. Efficiency gains through the use of these tools is not the focus of this section," reads the generative AI disclosure form for developers, as seen in a screenshot posted by Carless on LinkedIn. "Instead, it is concerned with the use of AI in creating content that ships with your game, and is consumed by players. This includes content such as artwork, sound, narrative, localization, etc.," the form reads.
Artificial intelligence
#steam-machine
fromKotaku
1 month ago

One Switch Emulation Dev Is Fighting Nintendo's New Crackdown

Nintendo's fired off a new volley of legal notices against the Switch emulation scene. Close to a dozen GitHub pages were hit with DMCA takedown requests over the weekend. However, while several of the Nintendo Switch GitHub pages have given in to Nintendo's demands, the development team behind the Eden emulator has boldly refused. Instead, they proceed with publishing a new v0.2.0 build of the Eden Switch emulator on GitHub just days later.
Intellectual property law
#valve
#windows-activation
fromZDNET
2 months ago
Tech industry

Need to activate Windows? Microsoft just eliminated an option I've relied on for years

fromZDNET
2 months ago
Tech industry

Need to activate Windows? Microsoft just eliminated an option I've relied on for years

Artificial intelligence
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Valve Updates AI Disclosure Guidelines To Allow For AI-Powered Tools

Valve's revised disclosure policy removes the requirement to report AI-assisted development and focuses disclosure on AI-generated assets players interact with.
Gadgets
fromTechRepublic
2 months ago

Android Adds 'Accountability Layer' to Third-Party Apps

Android will implement a developer verification and high-friction "Accountability Layer" that reduces easy sideloading while allowing experienced users an opt-out installation flow.
UK politics
fromJezebel
2 months ago

X limits sexualized AI deepfakes to paying customers

X limited Grok's image generation and editing to paying subscribers after widespread production and sharing of sexualized, exploitative deepfakes, prompting government condemnation.
#generative-ai
fromKotaku
2 months ago
Video games

One Game Publisher Is Pushing Back Against AI Art With Contracts That Ban It: 'It's Cancerous' - Kotaku

fromKotaku
2 months ago
Video games

One Game Publisher Is Pushing Back Against AI Art With Contracts That Ban It: 'It's Cancerous' - Kotaku

Artificial intelligence
fromThe Verge
1 month ago

Microsoft says it's building an app store for AI content licensing

Microsoft is building the Publisher Content Marketplace to let AI companies license publisher content with usage terms and usage-based reporting for pricing.
Information security
fromKotaku
2 months ago

Report Of Steam Game Exploit Leads To Online Dispute With Devs

A remote code execution vulnerability in Screeps: World allowed players to gain control of others' computers, prompting developers to patch after a disputed report.
fromIPWatchdog.com | Patents & Intellectual Property Law
1 month ago

AI and Copyright: How Lessons from Litigation Can Pave the Way to Licensing

As the AI revolution accelerates and continues to reshape traditional business models, it has triggered a cascade of new legal, regulatory and policy challenges. At the forefront of these emerging issues are a growing number of high-stakes legal battles between content creators and major Generative AI (GenAI) companies behind large language models (LLMs). This article examines key legal themes and critical questions arising from recent developments at the intersection of AI and Copyright law.
Intellectual property law
#steam
fromEngadget
1 month ago
Video games

Steam now lets developers display the exact date of when their game leaves Early Access

fromEngadget
1 month ago
Video games

Steam now lets developers display the exact date of when their game leaves Early Access

#discord
fromKotaku
1 month ago
Privacy technologies

Discord To Require Age Verification By Face Scan Or ID Starting In March

fromKotaku
1 month ago
Privacy technologies

Discord To Require Age Verification By Face Scan Or ID Starting In March

fromDigiday
1 month ago

In Graphic Detail: AI licensing deals, protection measures aren't slowing web scraping

New data is reinforcing a structural shift in how AI systems access publisher content: AI models are increasingly scraping publisher content, regardless of bot-blocking measures or content licensing deals meant to control usage, improve attribution or drive referral traffic. New research from analytics firms and bot-tracking companies shows AI tools are increasingly crawling publisher sites as inputs for AI-generated summaries and training, while sending back only limited referral traffic.
Artificial intelligence
Gadgets
fromEngadget
2 months ago

Quake is now Steam Deck Verified

Quake is Steam Deck Verified and Handheld Optimized for Xbox ROG Ally, making the 1996 id Software shooter widely available on modern platforms.
fromPractical Ecommerce
1 month ago

AI Content Licensing for Merchants

They train on it and self-evaluate against it. Yet those AI-driven interfaces increasingly answer questions without sending users to the content source. Google's AI Overviews makes this obvious to many businesses in the form of dwindling search traffic. Many publishers are alarmed, having built their businesses on audience reach, page views, and advertising impressions. When AI systems summarize articles instead of referring readers, the economic model fractures.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
fromKotaku
2 months ago

Dev Deletes AI Steam Game After New Girlfriend Convinces Him It's Bad

An indie developer is removing his AI-generated Steam game because he concluded AI assets harm the economy, environment, and game-making ethics.
#gog
#roblox
Video games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Microsoft Briefly Torpedoes Game's Steam Page Over Screenshot

Microsoft issued a DMCA takedown via an AI platform against an upcoming voxel-based crafting sim over a single screenshot, despite many similar games existing.
Video games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

It's Time To Stop Treating The Epic Game Store Like A Joke

The Epic Games Store is transitioning from a Fortnite-focused launcher toward a broader third-party PC games platform by rebuilding its launcher and attracting non-Epic play.
Video games
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Arc Raiders Dev Promises New Anti-Cheating Measures Are Coming Soon

Embark Studios is deploying new anti-cheat measures, client-side fixes for the out-of-map glitch, streamer anti-sniping tools, and aggression-based matchmaking.
Video games
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

GOG Boss Says We May Get "Fewer Games" If Regulators Force Devs To Maintain Them Forever

Requiring indefinite preservation for live-service games could reduce the number and diversity of games developed due to increased long-term costs and regulatory risk.
Video games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Capcom Slaps Crappy DRM On Steam Ports Of Dino Crisis 1 & 2 - Kotaku

Capcom released Dino Crisis 1 and 2 on Steam with Enigma Protector DRM, potentially harming performance despite DRM-free versions on GOG.
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Sony Cracks Down On Over 1,000 Digital PlayStation Games From The Same Publisher

Bad news for fans of The Jumping Burger: the PlayStation Store has excised the game, along with over 1,000 similar titles published by the same developer, in what appears to be an effort to clear the storefront of shovelware. German publisher ThiGames had its entire catalog of at least 1,196 games silently delisted. The company, as pointed out by streamer and "trophy hunter" RobThanatos on X, published the fourth-highest number of titles on the PlayStation Store. ThiGames has yet to publicly acknowledge the removals.
Video games
Video games
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Marvel Rivals Developer Is Preparing To Crack Down On This New Exploit

Players exploit hero proficiency rewards by staying stationary ('Lord farming'), prompting NetEase to plan detection systems and severe penalties.
fromKotaku
2 months ago

Cyberpunk 2077 VR Modder Locks Out Subscribers After New DMCA: 'People On The Web Are Thirsty For Blood' - Kotaku

In light of the above facts, I'm being forced to take immediate action. I'm making unavailable all versions of the mods and also all the posts related to the wonderful work we have done here together for years, so that there will be no ground for further claims,
Video games
Video games
fromFuturism
2 months ago

Indie Developer Deleting Entire Game From Steam Due to Shame From Having Used AI

An indie developer is deleting his partially AI-made game from Steam after concluding AI-generated assets harm the economy, environment, and game-making integrity.
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Dev Plans To Voluntarily Delete AI-Generated Game

I made this game during the summer in couple months and thought to use AI because in university there is so much brainwashing on students and all the tools are given for free,
Video games
fromKotaku
2 months ago

Arc Raiders Devs Have Plans To Stop The Current Cheating Issues

The plans include "updating our Anti-Cheat systems for improved detection and bans," and speaking directly to one of the main sources of complaint, "applying client-side fixes specifically addressing the 'out of map' glitch." There are also plans to bring in measures and tools for streamers to "help mitigate stream sniping"-the issue where players can see where streamers are on a map and what they're doing, and using this to the sniper's advantage.
Video games
Video games
fromKotaku
2 months ago

Cyberpunk 2077 VR Modder Blasts 'Corpo Logic' Over Takedown

Modder Luke Ross released a paywalled R.E.A.L. VR mod for multiple major games and faced DMCA takedowns from Take-Two and CD Projekt Red.
Video games
fromGameSpot
2 months ago

Steam Reviews Moving From Mixed To Very Positive Can Triple Games' Chance Of A Sale

Higher Steam review scores significantly boost conversion rates from marketing campaigns, potentially tripling sales chances when moving from Mixed to Very Positive.
fromwww.gamespot.com
2 months ago

We Need Demos Now More Than Ever

There has been a demo renaissance in the last few years, and we couldn't be happier. Demos have been a part of video game history for a long time, but whether or not they've been good for sales has been up in the air for quite some time. Fortunately, in the last couple weeks we've gotten a Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined and Final Fantasy 7 demo for Switch 2.
Video games
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