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This Week in PC Games: Highlights from Sci-Fi Shooter Pragmata, 2.5D Platformer Replaced, and the Most Wishlisted Game on Steam Featuring Illuminated Manuscripts

As you may well know, Edwin has been devoured by The Maw more than once in his time as news editor. Though you cant say he’s not learned from the experience of being a digestee. Knowing that The Maw becomes particularly agitated in weeks stuffed with new releases, I suspect he saw the bloated Steam Upcoming chart and hastily booked his holiday, leaving us to wrangle the beast.

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Pokémon Competitor Disqualified for Overzealous Celebration Questions Decision as Unfairness

**Controversy Erupts in Pokémon Go Competitive Sphere: Firestar73 Disqualified from Championship Victory**

In an unexpected development at the Orlando Regional Championship last week, competitive Pokémon Go player Firestar73 was disqualified from his triumph after tournament judges labeled his post-match celebration as “unsportsmanlike.” This ruling has ignited extensive discussions among fans and notable figures within the gaming sector, prompting calls for The Pokémon Company to amend the judgement.

Firestar’s path throughout the tournament exemplified tenacity as he navigated the loser’s bracket to achieve a critical game 5 victory. However, following this hard-earned win, his celebration—though quite mild—provoked controversy when he was reported to have slammed his headphones down excessively. Subsequently, tournament organizers decided to grant the win to his opponent, citing unsportsmanlike behavior.

In response to the ruling, Firestar73 released a four-page statement, available via a Google Drive link, where he expressed appreciation to supporters championing the reversal of the decision. He emphasized the need to concentrate on the future instead of reliving past occurrences and urged his followers to avoid directing any negativity towards the judges or event personnel involved in the ruling process.

“I don’t aim to dwell on who’s at fault for the past. I intend to concentrate on the future […]—on why the outcome should legitimately be revised,” he stated in his remarks.

Firestar additionally pointed out discrepancies in the application of sportsmanship guidelines, citing previous cases where other Pokémon Go competitors celebrated more exuberantly without facing disciplinary measures. He contended that his own celebration, while deemed unsportsmanlike, did not exhibit the taunting behavior that would justify such a penalty. Videos from earlier tournaments featured other players, such as Wdage and Arceus Aruelius, celebrating with greater enthusiasm than he did without incurring similar consequences.

The prevailing sentiment within the Pokémon Go community appears to view the judges’ verdict as a misstep born from good intentions rather than an outright error in judgment. Many community members believe that acknowledging the oversight and reversing the decision would not undermine the authority of the Tournament Organizer but rather admit a lack of understanding of community norms by those overseeing the event.

As Firestar noted, the official Pokémon Go Tournament Handbook specifies that unsportsmanlike conduct only merits a game loss if it is intended to provoke another competitor. The context of Firestar’s celebration seemingly does not meet this standard, raising further inquiries regarding the judgment practices enforced during competitive play.

As developments continue to unfold, the response from The Pokémon Company is being keenly anticipated, with both fans and players closely monitoring the potential consequences for the competitive landscape of Pokémon Go.

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GTA 6 Hackers Intend to Publish Illegally Acquired Information After Ransom Requirements Go Unfulfilled

### RockStar Games Breached: An In-Depth Look at the ShinyHunters Event

In a notable cybersecurity incident covered by the BBC, the hacking collective known as ShinyHunters has issued a threat to unveil data stolen from Rockstar Games, the studio behind the iconic Grand Theft Auto franchise. Reports indicate that the group’s demands were not met, leading them to opt for disclosing the purloined data online.

#### The Event

On April 11, news emerged that ShinyHunters had illicitly accessed Rockstar’s servers, which are hosted on Snowflake, a cloud computing service. This breach came with threats of data exposure unless a ransom was remitted. Nevertheless, Rockstar quickly addressed the situation, affirming that the breach involved “a limited amount of non-material company information” and would not impact the company or its gaming community.

#### ShinyHunters: Who Are They?

The BBC portrays ShinyHunters as a collective of cybercriminals, thought to be teenagers, who have established a reputation for data theft and extortion. They have become well-known for targeting diverse organizations and utilizing stolen information for monetary gain.

#### The Technique Behind the Hack

Analysts believe that a security flaw at Anodot, a platform specializing in cloud cost surveillance and analytics, may have facilitated the hack. This weakness likely gave ShinyHunters the necessary access to Rockstar’s servers. Cybersecurity experts caution against the payment of ransoms, suggesting that not only does it support criminal practices but it also fails to ensure the safety of the compromised data.

#### The Consequences

Currently, the exact nature of the stolen data is unknown. However, the threat of its release is imminent, with ShinyHunters suggesting they would disseminate the stolen data on their dark web sites, from where it could potentially reach a wider audience.

Rockstar Games has chosen a measured public approach during this incident, prioritizing the alleviation of worries among its players and stakeholders. The continuing developments in this matter underscore the persistent threats linked to cybersecurity in the gaming arena and the necessity of strong security protocols to guard sensitive information.

In summary, the ShinyHunters incident highlights the recurring challenges that organizations encounter in the digital era, emphasizing the importance of vigilance in protecting data against increasingly advanced cybercriminal strategies.

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“Pete Hines Explains Departure from Microsoft-Owned Bethesda Due to Concerns Over Treatment and Management”

Following the release of Starfield back in 2023, one of the long-time faces of the publisher announced he was wandering off into the great retirement beyond. Pete Hines, who was head of publishing at the Fallout and Elder Scrolls maker, said at the time that walking away was “not a decision I came to easily or quickly”, but that “the time is right”. He’s now expanded on what went into his exit, painting a pitcure that reflects far less rosily on Bethesda’s current corporate overlords Microsoft, though the megacorp aren’t explictly namedropped.

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California Bill Mandates Game Companies to Maintain Functionality or Provide Refunds After Server Shutdowns

Stop Killing Games, the campaign group seeking to prevent online games being rendered unplayable when publishers shut down their servers, have moved to support a Californian bill that in its current form would require studios to either update games with impending server shutterings to they keep working independently aftwards or provide full refunds. The movement also claim their UK efforts are “far from dead in the water”, noting they were called in to advise the Department for Culture, Media & Sport last week.

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