The Game Awards 2021 have finally arrived, and it not only celebrated the greatest games of the past year, but it also shared a glimpse of the future with world premiere announcements and updates on not only some of the most anticipated titles headed to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and beyond, but also TV shows and movies based on games.
From The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience to Star Wars: Eclipse to a new Wonder Woman game to Alan Wake 2 and so much more, fans of video games were treated to three hours of reveals that hopefully had something for everyone.
There was so much packed into The Game Awards 2021 that you may have missed some of the biggest news, to help ensure you don’t miss a thing, we’ve gathered all the best game reveals from the show below.
Wonder Woman Game Announced from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Developers Monolith Productions
WB Games has announced Wonder Woman, a new game from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War’s Monolith Productions starring the iconic DC hero. While no release date was given, we did get a cinematic reveal trailer of this new take on Wonder Woman.
New Elden Ring Trailer Premieres Brand New Cinematic Story Trailer
The Game Awards 2021 presented those impatiently waiting for Elden Ring a new story trailer that focuses on a war between demigods who fight to gain control of the Elden Ring. Fortunately for fans, Elden Ring’s February 25, 2022, release date is still holding strong.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Shows Off Its First Real Gameplay
Arc Raiders: Ex-DICE Devs’ New Game Is a Co-Op PVE Sci-Fi Shooter
Embark Studios’ debut game is called Arc Raiders, a vibrant sci-fi PVE third-person shooter that features three-player co-op and a heavy focus on teamwork. Furthermore, it will be free-to-play when it arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in 2022.
While there wasn’t much new revealed, the highly-anticipated Horizon Forbidden West received a brand-new gameplay trailer at The Game Awards 2021.
Sonic Frontiers, an ‘Open-Zone’ Sonic Adventure, Officially Announced
SEGA has officially revealed Sonic Frontiers, a new “open-Zone” Sonic adventure that is set to speed our way in Holiday 2022. While not much more was revealed, we do know that the main locations of the game are called Starfall Islands.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Movie Trailer Finally Reveals Knuckles and Tails
Among Us has already given us plenty of ways to betray those we love the most, and soon we will be able to do all these things in VR. There was no release date given, but we do know that it will be released on PlayStation VR, MetaQuest 2, and Steam.
New Saints Row Gameplay Trailer Shows Off Crazy Stunts and More
After more than a decade, Warhammer Space Marine is back with a new entry. Focus Home Interactive and Saber Interactive officially unveiled Warhammer Space Marine 2 and shared that it will star Titus, captain of the Ultramarines and one of the franchise’s most iconic characters.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Trailer
While Guardians will have to wait until February 2, 2022, to get their hands on Destiny 2’s The Witch Queen expansion, The Game Awards gave them another tease of the dangers and adventures to come.
Rumbleverse is a New Brawler Take on Battle Royale
Iron Galaxy and Epic Games have Rumbleverse, a new challenger in the battle royale space. In this game, 40 players will drop onto a map and engage in melee brawls to be the last one standing.
Planet of Lana – an Off-Earth Odyssey is set to arrive in 2022 and is a sci-fi adventure game from Wishfully. It also features music composed by The Last Guardian’s Takeshi Furukawa.
King of Fighters XV Reveals Krohnen and a Second Open Beta Test for PS4 and PS5
Alongside announcing Krohnen for King of Fighters XV, it was also revealed that the upcoming fighter will have a second open beta test on PS4 and PS5.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Online Multiplayer Horror Game Announced
The Alternate History Game Steelrising Gets a New Cinematic Trailer
Steelrising, a new alternate history game that is set during the French Revolution, got a new trailer at The Game Awards 2021. In this timeline, King Louis XVI built an army of robots to stop the revolution.
Flying Wild Hog is an upcoming third-person action game that tasks players ith one mission – “Eradicate the vampiric hordes with your lightning-fueled gauntlet and become a Wild West Superhero.”
Google Play Games Brings Mobile Games to PC in 2022
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
