The newest patches for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Warzone have arrived, fixing some key issues that were introduced in the recent Season 3 Reloaded update.

Specifically, this update fixes an issue pertaining to sprinting. After the Season 3 Reloaded update went live, players noticed that when using the Commando Gloves perk, reloads became canceled when running with automatic tactical-sprint. However, this bug is now fixed.

The update also fixes an issue on the Skidgrow map that previously allowed players to reach an "exploitable location" on the roof. For Zombies, the patch fixes bugs pertaining to reloading and AI incorrectly targeting players, and it also clears out an issue that caused players to get stuck outside the map.

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The first Nintendo World Championships took place in 1990, giving the best players in the world a chance to face off in some of the most iconic games of all time. Fast-forward to today, and Nintendo is doing much the same for 2024. But instead of a select few competitors battling on stage for a grand prize, it's opening the excitement to the masses by releasing Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. The retro minigame collection launches on July 18, and there's a mighty cool physical edition up for grabs that will pull at your nostalgia strings. Preorders are live now at Best Buy and have already sold out at GameStop (at least for now).

Preorder Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Deluxe Set)

$60

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - Deluxe Set for Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition includes over 150 minigames spread across 13 NES titles. This includes seeing how fast you can complete the first level of Super Mario Bros, how quickly you can eat an enemy in Kirby's Adventure, and defeating as many Octoroks as possible in The Legend of Zelda. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can compare your scores to players around the world. The big selling point of this deluxe set is its lineup of collectibles, as you'll get a gorgeous replica game pack, 13 art cards, and a set of pins.

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Ian Gelder, best known for his role as Kevan Lannister in Game of Thrones, has died at age 74, his husband, fellow actor Ben Daniels confirmed. Gelder had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December and Daniels had stopped work to care for him.

"It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I'm leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder," Daniels posted on Instagram. "He was the kindest, most generous spirited, and loving human being. I honestly don't know what I'll do without him by my side. He coped with his dreadful illness with such bravery, with no self pity. Ever. He was remarkable and will be so missed."

Saltburn star Richard E. Grant shared his condolences in Daniels' post, while the Royal Shakespeare Company, and even Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies also paid their respects on his passing. Gelder was also a veteran stage actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company having played major roles including Antonio in The Merchant of Venice and the Duke of Clarence in Richard III.

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Apple TV+ has seen impressive growth over the years, but few of its originals are as well-known as Ted Lasso. The show earned critical acclaim across its three seasons, thanks to solid writing, heartwarming storylines, a star-studded cast list, and a stellar performance from its leading star, Jason Sudeikis. The series is only available to stream via Apple TV+, but soon that will change, as preorders for Ted Lasso: The Complete Series on Blu-ray are live now at Amazon.

Ted Lasso: The Complete Series Blu-Ray $85

This marks the first time Ted Lasso has found its way to Blu-ray, as none of the seasons ever received a physical release. That also means this is the first time you can watch the show without an Apple TV+ subscription. Unfortunately, little else is known about the Blu-ray aside from its release date of July 30.

Preorder at Amazon

The Blu-ray will contain all three seasons and 34 episodes of the show, giving you an easy way to catch up on the adventures of Ted Lasso.

Special Features

No special features have been announced yet, though we wouldn't be surprised to learn about behind-the-scenes content or featurettes ahead of the Blu-ray release.

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EA CEO Andrew Wilson has said in-game advertising could become a "meaningful driver of growth" for the company's bottom line. Speaking during the company's latest earnings briefing, Wilson said "it's still early on that front," and if this is something EA does decide to push further into, the company will be "thoughtful" about it.

In 2008, Barack Obama's campaign paid EA to put political ads in Burnout Paradise to try to get people to vote for him. Prior to that, 2006's Battlefield 2142 and Need for Speed Carbon featured in-game ads. In 2007, EA signed a deal with an ad company to bring in-game ads to Madden, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, NHL, and NASCAR games, as well as Skate.

Wilson said during the earnings call that, for any future in-game ad campaigns, EA would try to be "very thoughtful" about how they might be implemented.

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Super Mario Bros. Wonder was among the biggest releases of 2023, so it should come as no surprise that the iconic Elephant Mario power-up has received the Little Buddy plush treatment. This plush has sold out quickly each time it's been available to order at Amazon, so we'd recommend snagging it quickly.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Elephant Mario Plush $25

Clocking in at 10.2in tall (26cm) tall and made with polyester, the plush is surprisingly large for its $25 price tag. It's designed to look just like Elephant Mario in the game, featuring the gigantic trunk and ears of an elephant yet sporting Mario's iconic mustache, overalls, and hat.

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While this Elephant Mario plush is undoubtedly adorable, there are plenty of other Mario plushies that are available today. Here's a look at some of our favorite Mario plushies you can buy from Amazon:

Best Mario Plushies

• Yoshi
• Super Mario
• Kitsune Fox Mario
• Luigi
• Baby Mario
• Baby Luigi
• Fire Mario
• Builder Luigi
• Poochy
• Larry Koopa
• Koopa Paratroopa
• Ghost Boo
• Bob Omb
• Goomba
• Koopa Troopa
• Blue Toad
• Lakitu Koopa
• Dry Bones Koopa
• Shy Guy
• Piranha Plant

Best Gaming & Tech Deals This Week

• Xbox Storage Expansion Cards On Sale At Amazon For A Limited Time
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• Super Mario RPG Is On Sale For Its Best Price Yet At Amazon

Travis Kelce is using the NFL offseason to appear on the small screen in the upcoming FX series Grotesquerie from Ryan Murphy. It will be the first major role for the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and boyfriend to pop sensation Taylor Swift.

Deadline reports Kelce will star alongside Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, and Lesley Manville for the drama. There aren't many details about the drama, though it's expected to premiere this fall alongside the start of the NFL season.

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A post shared by Niecy Nash (@niecynash1)

Kelce confirmed his casting for Grotesquerie on Instagram in a reel posted by his co-star Nash-Betts. In the video, the football player appears and announces he's "jumping into new territory with Niecy."

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The spirit of E3 lives on in June as publishers, game studios, and several other initiatives come together to host various livestreams. Only a few more weeks remain until there's an influx of broadcasts held online, and if you're looking to organize your schedule, we've rounded up a full list of everything announced so far.

Like previous years, one of the big events will be Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest on June 7. An annual event, this showcase is hosted in front of a live audience and is streamed across the globe. Microsoft is hosting its event on June 9, and while games for it haven't been confirmed yet, there's a good chance that Avowed, Indiana Jones, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will make appearances. The next entry in the Call of Duty franchise is also rumored to be the focus of a deep dive special immediately after the Xbox event.

Get ready for several summer gaming showcases.

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After an ESRB rating for the game appeared out of thin air last week, Nintendo has officially revealed Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, a compilation of NES-themed minigames focused on speed. The company has also confirmed a July 18 release date.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition will feature over 150 minigames spanning 13 different NES titles. The trailer revealing the game shows off a few of the many challenges, which include collecting the first mushroom in Super Mario Bros., defeating Octoroks in The Legend Of Zelda, and more.

The trailer also highlighted many of the competitors from Nintendo World Championships live events from the past. Some of the featured contestants include two world champions in Thomas G., who claimed victory in the 2017 competition, and Jeff Hansen, who was the first-ever Nintendo World Champion after winning the 1990 event.

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Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson is very optimistic that generative artificial intelligence could help the company reach the "holy grail" of game development. Speaking during the company's latest earnings briefing, Wilson said EA's 40-year history will be an accelerant for the company's plans for generative AI, because it can bake those learnings into a model to help make games faster and make them more innovative and fun. Or at least that's what the executive hopes. Wilson is making these comments not long after laying off more than 600 people and cancelling games.

Wilson said EA's developers are asking for advances to AI to help them with their daily processes, though he did not share any specific people or teams within EA that are actively hyped about generative AI. "I would tell you, there was a real hunger amongst our developers to get to this as quickly as possible because, again, the holy grail for us is to build bigger, more innovative, more creative, more fun games more quickly so that we can entertain more people around the world on a global basis at a faster rate," Wilson said.

Wilson went on to say that the "AI evolution" is still in the "very early" stages, but generative AI tools are already helping EA's teams to speed up progress. He cited an example of how the developers of EA's soccer series can now create stadiums in six weeks rather than six months, and he believes this timeline could accelerate further still. For FC 24, Wilson said the game features more than 1,200 running animations for its virtual athletes, which compares to 36 in the game's immediate predecessor, FIFA 23.

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Go big or go home, and EA has apparently chosen the former for the Battlefield franchise. Company CEO Andrew Wilson has revealed that the FPS series is now being worked on by "the largest Battlefield team in franchise history."

Spotted by Eurogamer, Wilson discussed what's next for Battlefield earlier this week during EA's financial report for the end of the company's fiscal year 2024. "Our teams have listened to the community, have learned valuable lessons, and are driving to the future," Wilson said. "Motive, armed with cutting-edge Frostbite technology and compelling storytelling, is joining DICE, Criterion, and Ripple Effect to build a Battlefield universe across connected multiplayer and single-player experiences."

Last month, Motive Studios announced it was now working on Battlefield, with the lead developers from 2023's Dead Space overseeing the team for the FPS franchise. In addition, Motive will continue crafting the single-player Iron Man game.

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The Perfect Dark reboot that was announced for PC and Xbox Series X|S is reportedly experiencing some shaky development woes right now.

Jeff Grubb took time on yesterday's Giant Bombcast to speak about upcoming Xbox projects. These included Perfect Dark, and things are apparently not looking good.

"The fallout from [layoffs], been hearing more and more...been hearing for years that Perfect Dark is in a rough state; it sounds like it's in a very rough state," he said. "And it doesn't sound like it's really come together in any way since [its announcement] and Crystal Dynamics coming on board to come help on that."

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One of the primary reasons Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard last year was because it's the company behind some of the biggest video game franchises, including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. But now, those franchises are the reason behind a hefty fine for the company. Via Reuters, a federal jury in Delaware has ruled that Activision Blizzard violated patents held by a company called Acceleration Bay relating to multiplayer features in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, and World of Warcraft. The jury also decided that Activision Blizzard owes $23.4 million in damages.

The two patents in question are related to technology that allows "simultaneous sharing of information" online between "widely distributed" computers, which is a core feature in many of Activision Blizzard's games. The patents were originally held by Boeing before they were acquired by Acceleration Bay. In court, Activision Blizzard's lawyers unsuccessfully argued that the technology the company uses in its games works differently than the technology covered by Acceleration Bay's patents. The jury disagreed, and ruled that Activision Blizzard owes $5.4 million for the Call of Duty games that infringed on the patents, and $18 million for World of Warcraft.

In a statement to the press, Activision Blizzard expressed its intention to appeal the ruling.

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In the lead up to the release of Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion on June 4, Bungie is making three of its previous expansions free to play for a limited time. Between now and June 3, players will be able to play through Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, and Destiny 2: The Witch Queen in Open Access.

Destiny 2's next expansion, The Final Shape, is a pretty big deal for the game, bringing a close to the game's long-running Light and Darkness arc. Fittingly, Bungie is giving players access to more of that storyline for free while they wait for The Final Shape to release.

Included in Open Access are three out of four of Destiny 2's expansions, with only last year's Lightfall not included in the broader free access period. Only PlayStation Plus members will also get to access Lightfall for free, with Destiny 2: Lightfall included as one of May's free monthly games on PS4 and PS5.

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Destiny 2 is continuing to add new content in the lead up to the release of The Final Shape expansion in June, and this time it's getting three brand-new maps for the Crucible, the game's PvP arena. The maps Eventide Labs, Dissonance, and Cirrus Plaza will be available on a 3v3 playlist called New Territory.

New Crucible maps have been few and far between in the last few years, so it's a big deal to have three new maps drop at once. Bungie showed off the new maps in a livestream in April, with each of them showcasing a region that has only been added into the game in the past few years.

The first, Eventide Labs, is set on the icy moon of Europa, introduced in the Beyond Light expansion. The map is set in an old research outpost now used as a refuelling station by Eramis. The cliffside map features a mix of natural structures and built features, with both old human architecture and Eliksni technology.

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Netflix has announced the latest wave of games coming to its streaming service, including Sonic Mania Plus, which is available to play right now. Sonic Mania Plus originally came out in 2017 and is an homage to the original classic Sonic games on Sega Genesis.

Also on the list is Braid, Anniversary Edition, which will be available on Netflix on May 14 with one new level exclusive to Netflix members. Just one week later, on May 21, you'll also be able to play Paper Trail, which was awarded the Best Mobile Game at the Tokyo Game Show.

Following that, players will be able to try out Virgin River on May 29. If the name sounds familiar, it's because it's based on the Netflix series of the same name. In the interactive adventure, you'll play as an original character who's looking for "community, fulfillment, and, ultimately, true love" from characters in the show, according to a press release.

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Arkane Austin, the studio behind Redfall, reportedly had a roadmap that was actively being worked on to improve the game before it was revealed that Xbox would be shutting down four studios, including Arkane Austin.

According to an IGN report, the team was working on DLC for the game and a series of updates that were expected to be released soon. But due to recent events, it's highly unlikely that we'll see the studio's work come to light. Prior to the studio closing, players would have received two new characters who were a part of the Hero Pass by Halloween.

One of these updates would have included an offline mode that was teased in the past. In an interview with Eurogamer, Harvey Smith, the game director of Redfall, said that the team was "looking into and working actively toward fixing that in the future."

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With the LitRPG genre, authors combine the deep storytelling of novels with the game elements of MMOs and RPGs, creating a more interactive experience. Humble's LitRPG Audiobook Bundle offers as many as 15 of those books, making this a pretty great deal for fans who are looking to fill out their libraries.

See LitRPG bundle on Humble

The bundle includes 15 different audiobooks that blend RPG mechanics and genre fiction. You'll even get a few full series. They include the Chronicles of Sir Crabby books, about a sentient crab fighting through an RPG-esque ocean, written by the author of the Noobtown series; the first two entries into the Qi=MC2 series, about a character trapped in a strange world and forced to take on challenges to increase his strength; and the first two Speedrunning the Multiverse books, about a godlike character battling through the multiverse to alleviate his boredom.

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Earlier today, it was revealed that Xbox is shutting down four of its studios. The studios included Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Since the announcement, various developers across the industry have voiced their opinions on the matter.

Dinga Bakaba, the director of Akrane Lyon, shared their thoughts in a series of posts on X/Twitter. Bakaba called Microsoft's recent decision "absolutely terrible" and continued by saying, "To any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you."

This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human : to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.

— Dinga Bakaba 451 (@DBakaba) May 7, 2024

In the same thread, Bakaba pleaded with executives to not "throw us into gold fever gambits, don't use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don't make our work environments Darwinist jungles." As the post continued, Bakaba called the closure of these studios a "fuc*king gut stab." They continued by saying, "Lyon is safe, but please be tactful and discerning about all this, and respect affected folks' voice and leave it room to be heard, it's their story to tell, their feelings to express."

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Fanatical's long-running series of mystery bundles is back with a new offering for risk-takers and those who have fond memories of grab-bags at dollar stores. Mystery Mayhem is loaded with Steam games that you may or may not have heard of before buying. The only way to find out what you're buying is to order a key--or five, 10, 15, even 20 keys. The more you spend, the less you pay for each key. Pricing starts at $1 for a single key and drops all the way down to 70 cents per game ($14 total) for 20 keys.

Try your luck at Fanatical

"Unleash your inner strategist with immersive tactical gameplay, embark on epic quests filled with twists and turns, or engage in heart-pounding multiplayer battles with friends and foes alike," Fanatical's description reads. Between hidden indie gems to blockbuster hits, there are also several high-value bundles sprinkled into the mix. These bundles include: Helldivers 2's Super Citizen Edition, Dragon's Dogma 2, Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition, and Persona 3 Reload.

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