Chris Kerr, News EditorJanuary 10, 20252 Min ReadImage via Square EnixSquare Enix is prepared to take legal action against those who harass or intimidate its employees.The Final Fantasy maker has updated its Group Customer Harassment Policy and confirmed it could withhold its products and services from anybody who harasses its workers or even begin criminal proceedings."Should Square Enix determine that an individual has engaged in an action against one of our employees or partners that exceeds socially acceptable behavior or is harmful, we reserve our right to cease providing support services or to refrain from providing our group's products and services," reads the policy."Where such action is egregious or with malicious intent, Square Enix reserves its right to protect its employees and partners and to take legal action or criminal proceedings upon consulting the police and/or lawyers."The Japanese publisher said harassment includes acts of violence, abusive language and intimidation, defamation and personal attacks (including emails), discriminatory speech and conduct, and sexual harassment.It also warned that undue demand in the form of unreasonable requests for compensation and excessive demands for the punishment of employees could also result in it taking action.Square Enix throws down the gauntlet in a bid to curb toxicitySquare said it remains open to feedback, comments, and other requests but noted there have been instances where some customers have directed harassment towards its executives, employees, and partners."Such actions do not only prevent our employees and partners from engaging in their work with a sense of security but also causes disruptions to other customers," it added. "Square Enix will not tolerate harassment and will take action as necessary."Last year, the 2023 GDC State of the Industry survey found the vast majority of developers are concerned about targeted harassment from players. Of those surveyed, 91 percent of respondents said they felt toxicity directed towards studio employees was an issue.Those findings came after major companies such as Sony Santa Monica and Respawn openly called out toxic player behaviour, with Respawn specifically stating it had seen "increased harassment towards members of our development team."Read more about:Square EnixAbout the AuthorChris KerrNews Editor, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, andPocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge CES is a TV show. And a car show. And a wearables show. And this year, oddly, kind of a pool-vacuum show? It is the biggest, most elaborate, most bizarre tech show of the year, during which practically the whole industry flies to Las Vegas to show off new stuff and make big deals. On this episode of The Vergecast, a special live edition of the show from the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, we talk through as much of it as we can. (Thanks to everyone who came out, by the way! So much to get to see and hang out with all of you.) We actually begin the show with a story that didnt start at CES but took over the week anyway: Metas about-face on fact checking and content moderation. After that, we get into Samsungs new Frame Pro TV, the end of Dells XPS brand, Sonys bizarrely expensive Afeela car, and more.After that, The Verges Allison Johnson, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, and Victoria Song join us on stage to talk about what they saw at the show. We talk about phone toasters, robot vacuums, smart locks, smart glasses, Max Ink Mode, and lots more. Will anything we saw this week ever ship, and will any of it be any good? Who knows! But thats the fun of CES. Its a fever dream, a... Read the full story at The Verge.

An aircraft helping to fight wildfires that are raging across Los Angeles was struck by a civilian drone on Thursday. The collision damaged the wing of the aircraft a CL-415 Super Scooper capable of scooping up 1,600 gallons of ocean water to drop onto nearby blazes according to a statement by the LA County Fire Department posted on X, putting it out of service until it can be repaired.Cal Fire spokesman Chris Thomas told The New York Times that grounding the aircraft will likely set back local firefighting efforts. Super Scoopers can typically refill in about five minutes. But even if it takes ten, thats six water drops that are lost each hour according to Thomas. So whose house is not going to get that water to protect it? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says the Super Scooper landed safely after the drone impact, and that the incident is now under investigation. Temporary flight restrictions have been implemented in the Los Angeles area that prohibit drones and other aircraft from flying without FAA authorization in an effort to protect firefighting efforts.According to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the drone was not assigned to help tackle the Palisades fires, and was destroyed in the collision. Marrone told the LA Times that the FBI is now planning to implement so-called aerial armor in the area to prevent further interference from drones.Several people online have violated the FAA-enforced flight restrictions, posting viral drone photos and video footage across social media showing the devastation from what appears to be prohibited airspace. Fire response agencies are often forced to ground their own aircraft to avoid collisions when dummies fly drones near wildfires for online clout.Its a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands, the FAA said in a statement. Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations. The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses.

Venu, the live sports streaming service from ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, isnt happening. In a joint statement on Friday, the three companies announced the decision not to move forward with the contemplated joint venture:After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period.ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery first announced Venu last year, and it was supposed to launch in the fall of 2024. The service wouldve given viewers access to a swath of live games from the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, and more from several linear channels, including ESPN, ABC, Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, TNT,and others.But then Venu hit a legal roadblock: an antitrust lawsuit from the live TV streaming service Fubo, accusing the trio of engaging in a years-long campaign to block Fubos innovative sports-first streaming business due to restrictive sports licensing agreements. Lawmakers also asked regulators to investigate Venu and its potential to become a monopoly in televised sports.RelatedLast August, a federal judge sided with Fubo and temporarily blocked Venus launch. Things seemed to settle when Disney agreed to merge Hulu + Live TV with Fubo, leading Fubo to drop its lawsuit. However, DirecTV and EchoStar, both of which raised concerns about the launch of Venu, werent happy about Fubos decision to settle. Its not clear what will become of the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV deal, and Fubo declined to comment.

Dungeons & Dragons show Critical Role has cancelled this week's livestream due to the wildfires currently raging across Los Angeles.As reported by Polygon, the LA-based Critical Role cancelled its January 9, 2025 livestream though said it intends to be back next week."As the evolving fires in Los Angeles are directly impacting our cast and crew, we're taking a break from streaming this week with the intention of returning to Exandria next Thursday, January 16," it announced on X/Twitter.Critical Role senior vice president of marketing Rachel Romero told Polygon "some of our family, friends, colleagues, co-workers have lost their houses, businesses, and other places that feel like home to them."We are absolutely heartbroken to see so much destruction and loss in our own backyard and encourage everyone to take a moment and think through how they can best support, whether that is through a monetary donation, food or supplies donations here locally, or just sharing resources within your own network, whether it be online or offline."Critical Role's own non-profit, the Critical Role Foundation, has donated $30,000 to the California Community Foundations Wildlife Recovery Fund. The crisis began January 7 and five wildfires are currently raging in the great Los Angeles area.Production on some of Hollywood's biggest shows, including Fallout Season 2, has come to a screeching halt. Filming permits across fire-stricken areas have been withdrawn, which means the re-start of production for Fallout Season 2 has been postponed. NBCUnviersal said productions Hacks, Loot, Ted, Suits: LA, and Happy's Place were suspendended as well.Elsewhere, CBS halted production on NCIS, NCIS: Origins, and After Midnight, while Disney paused Doctor Odyssey, Grey's Anatomy, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Warner Bros. studio in Burbank was closed, affecting Abbot Elementary among other shows.Image credit: Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Ubisoft has seemingly leaked the first expansion for Japan-set Assassin's Creed Shadows following its announcement of another delay.As reported by Insider Gaming, the game's Steam page was momentarily updated to include information on a 10-hour piece of downloadable content called Claws of Awaji, which will add a whole new map to the open-world game."Pre-purchase now to get a bonus mission and the upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion," the Steam page read. "Travel to a new region, get over 10 hours of additional content, and unlock a new weapon type, new skills, gear, and abilities."Travel to a new region, get over 10 hours of additional content, and unlock a new weapon type, new skills, gear, and abilities.The phrasing is a little confusing, as it makes it sound as though Claws of Awaji will only be available to those who pre-purchase the game, similar to the previously announced "bonus mission" Thrown to the Dogs. This would be unusual, however, as major expansions such as this are usually reserved for Season Passes.That being said, Ubisoft is ditching the Season Pass model for Assassin's Creed Shadows following major practice shake-ups in the wake of Star Wars Outlaws underperforming. Alongside scrapping the Season Pass, which would typically let players access two larger expansions for an additional $30 or so, Ubisoft is cancelling plans to charge players more to play on launch day. It is therefore assumed DLC expansions such as Claws of Awaji will be made free for all players.Though details are restricted to the brief paragraph published to Steam, the name Claws of Awaji does shed some light on what players will find in the DLC. Ubisoft quietly revealed Assassin's Creed Shadows' world map in the Collector's Edition trailer, which showed nine detailed regions plus one small island left blank.Assassin's Creed Shadows' world map, per the Collector's Edition trailer. Image credit: Ubisoft.This island is the Awaji the Claws of Awaji title presumably references, meaning this currently blank area of the map should one day be filled in through DLC. Awaji Island is perhaps most famous for its prominence in the Japanese religion of Shinto, where it is said to be the first island created in the world through the legend of Izanagi and Izanami.As Assassin's Creed has delved further and further into mythology and not just history with recent releases, especially in the role-playing game series which Shadows belongs to, fans will perhaps get to delve into Japanese legends with the addition of the Claws of Awaji.It will be longer than expected before this is possible, of course, as Ubisoft has delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows once again, this time to March 20. It was first pushed to February 14 from its November 12 release date.A lot rests on the shoulders of Assassin's Creed Shadows as not only the long-awaited Japan-set entry and the first full Assassin's Creed since 2020, but a struggling Ubisoft needs it to perform well following recent flops and investor frustration.It's not enjoyed a particularly positive promotional period so far, however, with the development team having to apologize on separate occasions for inaccuracies in Assassin's Creed Shadows' depictions of Japan and using a historical recreation group's flag without permission.Yet another controversy came as collectible figure maker PureArts removed an Assassin's Creed Shadows statue from sale over its "insensitive" design, and combined with the two delays, fans are growing increasingly impatient as a result.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Five-time WWE world champion Seth Rollins has confirmed he is not in upcoming MCU movie Captain America: Brave New World, saying his role was cut following extensive rewrites of the script and subsequent reshoots.Fans thought they had spotted Rollins' Captain America cameo in a trailer for the movie released last year, although Rollins denied it at the time. Now, it has emerged that the wrestler was set to appear in the film before his role was cut.Speaking in a video interview with YouTuber Chris Van Vliet, Rollins confirmed the news. I wish it the best, but I am not a part of that film, he said.Does my NDA still apply if Im not on the film anymore? he continued. Truth be told, any answer I gave you would only be my opinion on it. The script went through a lot of rewrites and reshoots and so what I was there to do... Essentially my role got either repurposed or completely erased.I did do a bit of an audition to possibly pop into another role I believe, or the repurposing of my role. Im not exactly sure on what it was.But they ended up going in a different direction with it. My understanding is there was just a lot of rewrites and a lot of reshoots. They know theyve got a finished product that hopefully theyre happy with, and hopefully its successful. But it will be sans Seth Rollins.Seth Rollins is not in Captain America 4. Photo by Michael Tran / AFP.Chris Van Vliet then asked about the trailer and those unmistakable eyes. Rollins brushed the question off with a coy response, insisting: "You could just see his eyeballs."I am not in the movie, he added. I will say unequivocally I am not in the film. I do not want anybody to go to the film thinking, oh Im here to see Seth Rollins. There might be two people who would do that, but I dont want those two people to waste their time. I dont want to misinform anybody. I dont want to lead anybody astray. I am not in the film. It should be a good one. Marvel does a great job.Then, when Chris Van Vliet suggested Rollins will end up in something else at some point, the WWE star responded: If Im not, I dont care. I dont love acting. I love wrestling.In May, reports indicated Captain America: Brave New World was undergoing reshoots to help introduce Breaking Bad, Star Wars, and The Boys actor Giancarlo Espositos new villainous character into the fold. Esposito plays Sidewinder, leader of the Serpent Society, in the film.Captain America: Brave New World comes out February 14, 2025.Image credit: Marvel Studios. Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Apple likes to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a specially-commissioned Shot on iPhone video, and an unofficial copy of this years short film has been posted ahead of the official reveal expected later today. The lunar new year begins on January 29.The 12-minute short musical film entitled I Want to Listen to You is directed by Michael Gracey, who previously directed the Hollywood musical film The Greatest Showman Since 2018, Apple has used the occasion both to welcome in the lunar year, and to showcase the cinematic prowess of the current iPhone. What appears to be a low-res bootlegged copy of years video has been shared on Bilibili.Passionate Geekz explains the story.Through a musical full of retro aesthetics, it explores the current emotional issues that ordinary young people are aware of []Different from the traditional culture and family narratives of previous years, Want to Listen to Songs with You takes us back to the 1990s. The protagonist Xiaowei was asked this clich question by his family during the New Years Eve dinner:When are you going to get a girlfriend? Grandma is still waiting to have her grandson.How can this matter be so simple? You are all thinking about me from your perspective.Back then, your dad used a music cassette tape to chase your mom.Perhaps because of the association with tapes, when Xiaowei went back to his room to rest after dinner, he also discovered the old tapes on the bookshelf. Among them, the tape with the words Little Rose for Me also took Xiaowei back to 1994.You can read the rest of it at the site.The film showcases a number of the iPhone 16 Pro cameras capabilities, including low-light shooting and 4K 120fps slo-mo footage. Well embed the official version once it goes live.Screengrab: AppleAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

The greatest attraction for me about Vision Pro is being able to have huge virtual monitors for both work and entertainment, but the downside is the discomfort of wearing one for an extended time. The Brelyon Ultra Reality Extend is a funky new monitor tech that aims to solve this problem.You dont have to wear anything just sit in front of a monitor, which can project a virtual display as wide as 122 inches from a much smaller physical display Virtual monitorsWhile you can get a huge virtual monitor experience from an affordable glasses product costing just a few hundred dollars, it falls short in a number of ways. Most notably, the virtual monitors arent fixed in space, and have an annoying tendency to wander around in your field of view, requiring constant re-centering.Additionally, you cant easily see your keyboard and trackpad, especially if you need corrective lenses.Vision Pro delivers a really high-quality virtual monitor experience, also allowing you to pin them to specific positions within your physical environment. The drawback, however, is that the unit starts to feel both hot and heavy after an hour or so of usage.Brelyon Ultra Reality Extend immersive monitorThis new monitor tech, on show at CES, aims to deliver a huge immersive monitor experience without the need to wear anything at all you just look at/through a physical monitor in front of you. The device not only gives a virtual display much larger than its physical size, but can also create a limited degree of 3D effect, with different layers of image.Engadgets Sam Rutherford got a chance to try it, and was impressed.This allows the monitor to defy its dimensions, because even though its much chunkier than a typical display, the view inside is absolutely monstrous. From a 30-inch frame, the Ultra Reality Extend provides a virtual display thats equivalent to a curved 122-inch screen. Meanwhile, its 4K/60Hz resolution uses 1-bit of monocular to deliver spatial content that looks closer to 8K with elements of the scene capable of looking closer or further away depending on the situation.When I watched a game clip fromSpiderman, the trees and light poles whipping past in my face felt so real I started to flinch subconsciously. Then in other scenes, Brelyons monitor was able to separate different layers of the content to make snow in the foreground look blurry as it whipped across the screen while characters in the distance remained tack sharp. Its rather uncanny because the effect is visceral in a way that games and movies on flat screens just cant match.Its currently clunky and even more expensiveWhat the monitor doesnt offer is portability. The device is huge, with the physical screen measuring 30 inches diagonally, and a depth very much resembling an old-school CRT monitor.It also costs about twice as much as Vision Pro, with a target price in the $5000 to $8000 range, depending on how many a company buys.At that kind of price, one of the most likely applications is flight simulators. In that field, an $5-8k price tag for something with a 3D effect and an immersive feel looks positively cheap.But its another possible directionThis is not something Id even remotely consider buying, and definitely doesnt meet my personal Vision Pro use-case of being able to travel light while still having huge monitors when working away from home.But what does make it interesting is that it represents another potential direction for this type of technology. This first-generation unit might be viewed much like a LISA a massive, non-portable device with a crazy price-tag. But we later got the PowerBook and iBook, and today have the MacBook Air.Quite how quickly this immersive monitor tech will develop remains to be seen, but Im certainly happy to see another approach to the problem underway. Check out the video below.Image: BrelyonAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Cybersecurity reporting is a critical yet often overlooked opportunity for service providers managing cybersecurity for their clients, and specifically for virtual Chief Information Security Officers (vCISOs). While reporting is seen as a requirement for tracking cybersecurity progress, it often becomes bogged down with technical jargon, complex data, and disconnected spreadsheets that fail to resonate with decision-makers. The result? Clients who struggle to understand the value of your work and remain uncertain about their security posture.But what if reporting could be transformed into a strategic tool for aligning cybersecurity with business goals? What if your reports empowered clients, built trust, and showcased cybersecurity as a driver of business success?That's exactly the focus of Cynomi's new guide"Taking the Pain Out of Cybersecurity Reporting: The Guide to Mastering vCISO Reports." This resource helps vCISOs reimagine reporting as an opportunity to create value, improve client engagement, and highlight the measurable impact of cybersecurity initiatives. By following the strategies in this guide, vCISOs can streamline the reporting process, save time, and elevate cybersecurity's role as a business enabler.This guide was co-autherd with Jesse Miller, co-author of the First 100 Days playbook, and founder of PowerPSA Consulting and the PowerGRYD. Jesse is a long-time CISO/vCISO and infosec strategist who has made it his mission to help service providers crack the code for premium vCISO profits. Why reporting matters more than ever?According to Miller, "Cybersecurity reporting is about creating a shared vision with your clients, where they see cybersecurity as a driver of growth, efficiency, and long-term success."Cybersecurity reporting serves four key purposes:Communicating risk Reports help clients understand the evolving threat landscape and how specific risks affect their organization.Facilitating decision-making By presenting clear, actionable insights, reports empower executives to prioritize cybersecurity investments effectively.Demonstrating value Reports connect the dots between cybersecurity initiatives and measurable business outcomes, from risk reduction to improved compliance.Building trust Regular, transparent reporting fosters confidence in your vCISO services and strengthens long-term client relationships.As Miller explains, "The purpose of reporting is to have a business strategy discussion that happens to be about security."At its core, reporting isn't only about showcasing what you've doneit's about framing the client as the hero of their own cybersecurity journey. Your job as a vCISO is to provide the roadmap, measure progress, and guide them toward informed decisions that protect their business.The biggest reporting mistake: Focusing too much on technical detailsOne of the most common pitfalls in cybersecurity reporting is overwhelming clients with technical jargon and raw data. Many vCISOs assume that clients want deep-dive technical analysis, but this approach misses the mark.As Miller puts it, "Most decision-makers aren't cybersecurity experts. They don't care about firewalls or patch logsthey care about business outcomes."Executives think in terms of:How secure is my business?What risks are we facing?How does this affect operations, reputation, or the bottom line?For example, instead of saying: "Firewall logs identified 50,000 external threats, which were blocked based on configured rules."Frame it as: "We successfully prevented 50,000 external attacks this month, demonstrating the strength of your current security posture. We're closely monitoring these threats to identify trends and anticipate future risks."By translating technical findings into clear business impacts, you engage decision-makers on their terms. Your reports become tools for strategic conversations, not just a list of activities.Elements of an effective vCISO reportTo make reports valuable and actionable, focus on these key components:Know your audience: Tailor your reports to different stakeholders. Executives need high-level summaries tied to business goals, while IT teams might need more granular technical details.Translate technical data into business insights: Connect cybersecurity metrics to real-world outcomes. Use clear language to explain how your initiatives:Reduce risks (e.g., fewer vulnerabilities, faster incident response times).Improve compliance (e.g., meeting regulatory requirements).Protect business continuity (e.g., minimizing downtime from ransomware attacks).Measure success with tangible metrics: Track progress over time by using measurable metrics, such as:Reduced incident response times.Fewer successful phishing attacks.Improved compliance scores.As Miller states, "Metrics are how you connect cybersecurity actions to business impactit's how you tell the story of value." These metrics tell a compelling story of improvement, demonstrating a return on investment for the client's security efforts.Structure your report strategically: Organize your reports so they're easy to read and relevant to the client's needs. A clear structure includes:Executive Summary: A high-level overview of key findings and recommendations.Risk Assessment: Prioritized risks and vulnerabilities with clear explanations of their business impact.Recommendations: Actionable steps to address risks and improve security posture.Strategic Roadmap: A forward-looking plan outlining next steps and long-term initiatives.Use visuals to enhance understanding: Charts, graphs, and tables help simplify complex data and highlight trends. Visual aids make reports more engaging and easier to digest for non-technical audiences.For example, you can use visuals to show a client their threats and vulnerabilities, and their risk mitigation plan.Sample Report: Vulnerability and Scan FindingsSample Report: Risk Mitigation PlanStreamlining reporting with technologyManual reporting processesjuggling spreadsheets, extracting charts, and compiling disconnected dataare time-consuming and error-prone.As Miller points out, "vCISOs need tools that eliminate the manual grind so they can focus on delivering insights, not crunching numbers."vCISO Platforms like Cynomi automate data collection, create visually compelling reports, and align findings with business outcomes. By leveraging the right tools, vCISOs can:Save time and reduce manual effort.Deliver consistent, professional reports.Focus on strategic insights that drive client success.The dual protection of effective reportingA well-crafted report doesn't just benefit the clientit also protects the vCISO or MSP. By documenting risks, actions taken, and decisions made, you create a record of due diligence. This can be invaluable in the event of:Regulatory audits or compliance reviews.Cyber incidents where accountability is questioned.Client disputes about what actions were taken or recommended.Effective reporting provides transparency, accountability, and peace of mind for both parties.Your next steps as a vCISOUltimately, cybersecurity reporting is about creating a shared vision for success. By aligning your reports with business goals, translating technical findings into actionable insights, and leveraging automation, you position yourself as a trusted advisor and strategic partner.In Miller's words, "Reporting reframes cybersecurity as a business enabler, not a cost center. It's about showing how security drives growth, efficiency, and success."The guide"Taking the Pain Out of Cybersecurity Reporting"walks you through how to transform raw data into compelling narratives, demonstrate measurable value, and shape the future of your client's cybersecurity strategy.With the right approach, you empower your clients to become the heroes of their cybersecurity journey, while showcasing your expertise as the architect of their success.Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.