Hello gamers, welcome back to another big week in tech and gaming news. Just this week, Turkey has decided to ban Roblox from the country, blocking millions of players from accessing the game. Elon Musk‘s X has also entered another legal battle, suing advertisers for allegedly conspiring to boycott the website. But worry not — for there is some good news, with some beloved games like Borderlands 3 and Cult of The Lamb dropping new content.
Here are seven tech and gaming stories you might have missed this week.
7. Turkey bans Roblox from the country
In a surprising move, the Turkish government has blocked access to Roblox citing a government investigation that found content that could lead to child exploitation.
Roblox announced on their website: “We are mindful that millions of people use our platform in Turkey everyday, including a vibrant community of developers whose businesses rely on Roblox. We’re always thinking about how to keep our community safe, and we share global policymakers’ commitment to protecting children.”
It is unclear whether Turkey plans to un-ban the game any time soon.
Roblox has had a variety of issues in the past. Despite being a game recommended for kids, it has been reported to have issues of weak content moderation, child labour and not doing enough to prevent sexual predators from using the platform to interact with children.
This ban comes only a week after Turkey chose to ban Instagram from the country as well. According to The Associated Press, the country didn’t provide a reason for the ban.
6. Elon Musk’s case to sue advertisers boycotting X
This Tuesday, Elon Musk announced a lawsuit against advertising consortium Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and several major companies including Unilever, Mars and CVS Health. X claimed that these companies had conspired to shut off advertising revenue to its business, costing the company “billions” of dollars.
Many have been quick to dunk on Elon for his infamous speech at the Cannes Lions advertising festival, in which he told CEOs like Bob Iger to go “fuck himself” if they didn’t want to advertise on X.
However, it’s looking like the lawsuit is already ramping up. The New York Times reported that GARM plans to “shut down”, citing an internal email from the non-profit organisation as it doesn’t have the financial resources to continue operations while fighting the lawsuit.
This is one of many lawsuits the company is undergoing right now, so it’s hard to say when this lawsuit might get resolved.
5. Fortnite to let players buy Battle Pass items
Huge news for newer Fortnite players, as Epic Games has announced that they’ll finally be bringing old Battle Pass items for general purchase after an 18 month period or more.
This is great news for players who may not have been playing at the time to grab those exclusive battle pass rewards or couldn’t grind the battle pass out in time to unlock a certain item.
These items include everything from outfits, pickaxes, emotes, loading screens, banner Icons, and more.
I personally love this change. Sometimes you don’t want to spend your entire week grinding through games to unlock a Chewbacca skin. Having the option to just buy it (at a reasonable price) is far more player-friendly, and surely gives people more player satisfaction here.
4. Google to discontinue the Chromecast
Google has announced plans to discontinue its Chromecast hardware this year. But worry not, this isn’t a Spotify Car Thing situation. It’s being phased out for, drum roll please… a brand new more expensive version called Google TV. How inspired.
The brand new Google TV Streamer has been designed by infusing Google’s Gemini AI into the software, putting smart home controls right on your TV screen.
Shalini Govil-Pai, the VP and GM of Google TV confirmed in an interview with The Verge the idea came from Google wanting to address modern trends with its streamer hardware.
The new Google TV is promising to be 23% faster than the Chromecast, and to come with a bunch of new software capabilities. For example, you can use Gemini to create generative AI screensavers, which in my opinion, kinda stinks. Imagine relaxing in your living room and some disgusting fever dream recreation of a forest appears in front of you.
Other features include voice commands, summaries of shows and movies, as well as reviews. Which sounds nifty to me — finally you can find out where you’ve seen that one niche actor before without spoiling that they die later on.
For cat owners or parents, the Google TV Streamer also has a remote finder button on the back of the unit. When you press it, the remote emits a beeping sound, making it easier to find.
The Google TV Streamer will be launching in Australia sometime this spring, between September to November for USD $99.
3. Game Informer shut down after 33 years
Last Friday, GameStop announced that it was closing down Game Informer after 33 years. The layoffs were announced via a now-deleted statement on X.
The editorial team at the magazine was close to finishing its 368th issue at the time of the announcement. On the day, the editorial team were immediately locked out of the site’s CMS, preventing writers from backing up their articles. The site was also quickly shuttered, redirecting to 404 pages, meaning all evidence of the work was purged.
The only proof staff had worked at Game Informer was the publication’s final tweet announcing the closure. The post has since disappeared as the Game Informer X account has been deactivated.
This is an absolutely disrespectful and upsetting ending to a legacy brand and its team that was continuing to do great work in the space. Our thoughts are with those affected.
2. Borderlands 3 gets a small but handy update for returning players
If you’re diving back into Borderlands 3 this year, you’re in luck, because Gearbox just dropped a small patch this week adding some much-needed quality-of-life features for players.
Starting today, you can create a character at a max level right from the main menu (as long as you’ve beaten the main game before). You can also auto-sell gear below a set rarity (goodbye junk white and green guns) and increase the font size of the game on Steam Deck.
Given that the movie has received…well, less than stellar reviews, I’m not so sure the series will get a huge uptick in players like The Last of Us or Fallout did, but I’m sure it might bring back a few returning players to relive the glory days.
1. Cult of The Lamb to get a new DLC and Free Co-Op update this month
Prepare your summoning rituals and get ready to clean up more fertiliser, because everyone’s favourite Aussie indie hit Cult of the Lamb is getting a brand new paid DLC this month called The Pilgrim Pack. This DLC will be launching alongside the free upcoming Unholy Alliance patch which is set to bring co-op to the game.
The Pilgrim Pack DLC will feature a new interactive digital comic for players, along with new in-game content such as new follower quests and forms, outfits and decorations.
You can pick up the DLC on August 12th for AUD $10.49 on PC. (Console prices yet to be announced).
Image Credit: Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images
The post Turkey Bans Roblox & Elon Musk’s X Enters New Lawsuit: Tech & Gaming News From This Week appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
