Numerous players on the Battle.net forums say their Diablo 3 accounts have been hacked. Affected players logged in to find all of their items gone and, in some cases, strangers added to their friends list. There are even a few players with Blizzard Authenticators are claiming that they’ve been compromised.

This morning, PC Gamer’s Tom Hatfield woke up to find all of his items gone, Eurogamer’s Chris Donlan was found wandering around Sanctuary being controlled by someone called “Anna”, Team Dignitas’ Nathaniel tweeted to say that all of his items have been nicked. “I love always on DRM to protect servers,” he says.

It’s often hard to get a handle on the numbers affected by a hacking outbreak, but the amount of anecdotal accounts suggests a significant problem. It’s bizarre enough that players running through Diablo as a single play game are having to put up with account hacks and disappearing items, but there’s another concern. The real money auction house is due to open next Tuesday.

Blizzard earlier told forum-goers that they’re aware of the issue. “Historically, the release of a new game — such as a World of Warcraft expansion — will result in an increase in reports of individual account compromises, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing now with Diablo 3,” they said.

“We know how frustrating it can be to become the victim of account theft, and as always, we’re dedicated to doing everything we can to help our players keep their Battle.net accounts safe — and we appreciate everyone who’s doing their part to help protect their accounts as well.”

Community manager, Bashiok, posted to say that Blizzard have been “taking the situation extremely seriously from the start, and have done everything possible to verify how and in what circumstances these compromises are occurring,” He also mentions that “we have yet to find any situations in which a person’s account was not compromised through traditional means of someone else logging into their account through the use of their password.”

That suggests the Authenticator is still one of the best ways to keep a Battle.net account safe. It’s available as a free app, and can be purchased as a dongle.

Blizzard’s servers have been up and down all week. On Sunday they were down for hours in Europe. Chris and I were trading and crafting as quickly as possible as the ten second countdown expired. Then we were kicked out and unable to play for most of the day. Error 37 and emergency maintenance periods have been locking players out in the US after launch. On the whole, it’s been a mess.

It’s sad, because the game behind the connection issues is awesome.

We’re entering a world of mainstream 64-bit computing — whether we like it or not. Just weeks after Adobe started requiring 64-bit Macs for CS6, DICE’s Rendering Architect Johan Andersson has warned that some of his company’s 2013 games using the Frostbite engine will need the extra bits as a matter of course. In other words, it won’t matter if you have a quad Core i7 gaming PC of death should the software be inadequate; if you’re still running a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 come the new year, you won’t be playing. The developer points to memory as the main culprit, as going 64-bit guarantees full access to 4GB or more of RAM as well as better virtual addressing. Andersson sees it as a prime opportunity to upgrade to Windows 8, although 64-bit Vista and 7 (and presumably OS X, if and when Mac versions exist) will be dandy. Just be prepared to upgrade that Windows XP PC a lot sooner than Microsoft’s 2014 support cutoff if you’re planning to run the next Battlefield or Mirror’s Edge.

SOURCE via Eurogamer

Players have discovered the rumoured Diablo 3 secret level only a few days after the game’s release. It’s called Whimsyshire, and it’s a playful poke in the ribs for anyone who accused the game of being too colourful back when its art style was originally unveiled. Whimsyshire is a neon-green children’s cartoon complete with rainbows and playful little happy clouds. Hooray!

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Epic have been showing off the next iteration of the Unreal Engine to developers for a short while. Wired got a look recently, and have posted their impressions alongside a few new shots showing a fiery demon, some busy wireframe scenes and a lovely vista.

Epic haven’t released the demo video yet, but Wired describe plenty of new tech, including an advanced particle rendering systems and a lighting program that models the way light bounces around rooms entirely in real time, bypassing the typical level design techniques that “bake” light and shadow into the textures of a scene. The days of designers hand-placing individual light shafts in a scene may well be over.

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Blizzard has released a statement following widespread server issues affecting Diablo III since its launch on Tuesday. Some players have seen pre-release error messages, connection issues, and even lag spikes during single player games. Now Blizzard are saying sorry.

The statement admits that “despite very aggressive projections, our preparations for the launch of the game did not go far enough.” As a result, Blizzard have moved the launch of its real-money auction house “beyond our original estimated date of May 22,” though they don’t specify exactly when.
Blizzard also thanked the game’s enthusiastic fans, and believe they have addressed most of the core issues. They will continue to monitor the servers, which we can only assume are still rammed with enthusiastic clickers.

The post follows days of problems with the game’s servers, which are believed to have caused the game’s Metacritic user review average to drop to a meagre 3.6. Read more…

According to reports out of South Korea, some of the country’s most talented (and fastest) players finished Diablo III in record time.

While Western players have also completed the game, in the race to finish it first (and fastest), Korean clan EHG defeated the final Diablo III boss only 5 and a half hours after the server opened.

Even though the clan defeated the final boss, it apparently could not obtain the in-game items due to, well, a server problem.

Warning: The source link shows what’s reportedly the final boss.

SOURCE via MT Korea

Just recently a silly little rumor surfaced that GameStop would ditch its Impulse gaming platform and sell Steam vouchers instead. Given the amount of time and money the company has invested in the platform, the rumor didn’t make sense.

What also didn’t make sense was GameStop selling Steam vouchers after complaining about — and even outright discontinuing — products with integrated Steam features. But as the popular saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

GameStop said on Monday that it has indeed partnered with Valve to offer Steam Wallet at all U.S. GameStop locations. Steam Wallet codes will be available in $20 and $50 denominations giving PC and Mac gamers immediate access to Steam’s more than 1,800 titles. This is ideal for gamers who can only purchase titles using cash — just scoot on down to GameStop and grab $20 or $50 in Steam credits.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Valve on this new initiative,” said Steve Nix, GameStop’s GM of Digital Distribution. “This gives even more options to customers now that they can put money in their Steam Wallet using cash, gift cards or trade credits through our convenient neighborhood locations.”

So what does this mean for Impulse? After all, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest to sell the same product that consumers will likely purchase using their Steam Wallet credits? Steve Nix, manager of PC digital distribution for GameStop, said the deal won’t have any effect on the company’s plans for Impulse. Even more, GameStop is already offering Origin points and is working to set up a similar deal with Good Old Games.

“Really, this doesn’t affect anything we’re doing with Impulse,” Nix told Joystiq. “We doubled the PC download business with the Impulse technology we acquired. We’re happy with that. We’re now online over 1600 SKUs, we’ll continue to grow that and continue to invest in that. We’re just offering options for customers. This in no way changes our investment or what we’re doing with that business.”

Nix was the former CEO of Ritual Entertainment (SiN Episodes) and director of business development and digital platforms at id Software. Selling vouchers for Steam via GameStop was actually his idea, and he initially pitched an offer to Valve months back. He also said that GameStop’s proprietary tech for selling DLC directly from digital distribution holders helped make the deal possible.

“GameStop is the most recognized game retailer in the world and a leader in providing a state-of-the-art shopping experience for its customers,” said Jason Holtman, Valve’s Director of Business Development. “Offering Steam Wallet codes at GameStop extends more options and convenience to gamers around to the world.”

Ultimately selling Steam credits is just another avenue of revenue for a retail chain that at one time relied on brick-and-mortar sales. One day there may be a conflict of interest, but for now Steam is pumping an extra load of cash into GameStop’s own wallet.

SOURCE via Phoenix Corporate

According to an inside source, GameStop’s giving up on Impulse, the retailer’s digital downloads service. The company has its eyes set on another route to profitability: selling Steam vouchers.

The vouchers are said to be hitting GameStop stores on May 15, coincidentally when a lot of customers will be bum rushing GameStop to troll for copies of Diablo III.

Between Good Old Games and Steam, and maybe every so often Green Man Gaming, GamersGate, or Amazon, I’ve never even thought to use Impulse. There’s no point, because I’ve really yet to see Impulse offer any of the great deals that we see available through these digital retailers. If this rumor does prove true, it’ll be nice to see GameStop recognize Steam’s success.

SOURCE via Kotaku

On Friday Blizzard confirmed that it will offer a “Starter Edition” at launch — which is tomorrow, May 15 (or tonight at midnight). Unfortunately, it won’t be open to the public from the start, but instead be limited to Guest Pass keys that are provided with the paid boxed copy. Naturally the only way to gain one of these keys is to nag a paying customer, or wait until Starter Edition becomes available for everyone thirty days from tomorrow.

According to this Blizzard support page, Diablo 3 Starter Edition will allow players to hack their way through Act I until they defeat the Skeleton King — the very same campaign we played in the closed beta. There will also be a level cap of 13, matchmaking only with other Starter Edition players, and no Real Money Auction House access. All five classes will be available, but limited in abilities due to the level cap.

That said, Starter Edition doesn’t have any time restraints much like World of Warcraft Starter Edition. Fans will be able to play all five classes up to level 13 for as long as they want. It’s an extended demo that potential customers will eventually grow tired of and purchase the retail version so that they can hack and slash their way through Sanctuary beyond the Skeleton King’s defeat.

Blizzard also said that it’s launching a Profiles section on the official website shortly after the game’s launch. This will allow players to review all of their character information at a glance, share it with others, and check out the accomplishments of the other player characters.

“You’ll be able to look at your heroes (or your friends’ heroes) from any page on the Diablo 3 site through our personalized menu,” the company said in a blog. “If you’re curious about the exploits of your fellow forum posters, it’ll be a simple matter to click over to their profiles and feel envious of their gear or how long they’ve managed to keep their Hardcore characters alive.”

The first release of the Profiles section will feature two elements: a career tab and a heroes tab. “We’re planning to add tabs that’ll show off your artisans and achievements as well,” Blizzard added. “Profiles will be available on the site sooner rather than later, but you should feel free to share your suggestions and thoughts in the comments section below or in the Website Features forum.”

As reported last month, the launch festivities across the globe begin today. Here in the States, the official launch event will be hosted by Blizzard and GameStop in the Great Wheel Court of the Irvine Spectrum Mall, located in Irvine, California. The launch party will start at 8:00pm PDT on May 14 and include multiple giveaways, entertainment, and contests offering exclusive Diablo 3-themed prizes including laser-etched desktop PCs from Intel. The team will also be on hand to meet with players and to sign physical copies of the game.

“In addition to the official US launch event, other retail locations around the country will open at midnight to support gamers looking to pick up their copy of the game the moment it goes live,” Blizzard said. “Please check with your local retailers for further details.”

Last week Blizzard said it may enforce a log-in delay of up to 45 seconds to ensure that everyone has a stable experience as gamers leap onto the servers after waiting nearly 12 years for the third installment. The actual installer will be unlocked today as of 8am PDT so that users can begin to install the game, troubleshoot any issues that may occur, download and install the launch day 1.0.1 patch, and be ready to play as soon as the servers come online.

Additional launch information can be found here on the Launch Day Preparation Guide.

It’s crazy to think what a mix of a little luck and good marketing has done for Rovio and Angry Birds. The company’s made a fortune off of a game with a premise as simple as birds kamikaze-ing pigs to avenge their eggs. Angry Birds has been so successful that it’s become a cultural icon—nowhere will you go without stumbling across Angry Birds paraphernalia: shirts, backpacks, rubber bracelets…

It’s doubtful anyone will find it surprising to hear that the Angry Birds series has been downloaded over a billion times. Rovio’s created a short little animated video to celebrate the event. The video doesn’t just end at 1 billion served, but shows Casey’s Contraptions, which Rovio just recently acquired and renamed Amazing Alex.

Angry Birds may have hit the 1 billion downloads mark, but I doubt Rovio’s satisfied. Who knows, maybe we will see an Angry Birds feature film soon enough. Read more…