The ESA Doesn’t Want Libraries To Preserve Old Games Online
The Electronic Software Association, the video game industry’s trade association, has shot down a proposal to allow researchers remote access to archived video games. An ESA lawyer said there was no way the proposal could be modified to satisfy its members, fearing an exemption for academia would make a vast library of games available for “recreational play.”
The statements were made as part of a recent United States Library of Congress Copyright Office hearing over a proposed copyright exemption that would allow remote access to archived games specifically for academics, Game Developer reports. The exemption was initially proposed by the Software Preservation Network.
ESA lawyer Steve Englund shot down the proposal, also refusing potential modifications that would make the exemption more palatable to ESA members. Instead, he said there is currently no “combination of limitations [ESA members] would support to provide remote access.”
Some of the modifications suggested included limiting access to those with academic accreditation, which wasn’t suitable for the ESA. Englund said it “doesn’t prevent users from lying, or libraries from providing a simple checkbox, where users could confirm they have a purpose of scholarship or research.”
The AACS, which also opposes the exemption, also had a problem with the suggestion that access could be restricted to libraries with a physical location. “Anybody can have a mailing address,” said AACS attorney Mike Ayers in support of the ESAs objections. “When it comes to just checking boxes as opposed to having anything verified, I would have concerns. … It’s not clear [physical premises] will actually be effective.”
Englund suggested that any restrictions wouldn’t be enough to curtail what he refers to as “recreational play” through an online archive. “We’re likely see a situation like the ‘online arcade’ that I’ve been warning about for the last several proceedings.”
Other speakers present expressed frustration with the lack of progress on game preservation, pointing out that the ESA has been unwilling to meet researchers halfway on preservation. Last year, the Video Game History Foundation released a damning report that revealed 87% of games released prior to 2010 are “endangered” due to a lack of preservation efforts.
Valheim’s Most Challenging Biome Yet Enters Public Testing
Valheim’s second-to-last biome the Ashlands has now entered public testing, bringing the game one step closer to its full “1.0” release. The new biome is a charred environment full of cursed undead, which introduces new materials and items, including a brand-new siege mechanic.
As has been the case with every new biome Valheim has released so far, the Ashlands is by far the deadliest yet, introducing new threats and deadly creatures that inhabit the land, air, and sea. Players will have to be at the top of their game to build a base in the Ashlands and explore it for the new materials Ashwood and Grausten stone. These items will unlock new build pieces that can help fortify their buildings, as well as new aesthetic options for keen builders.
Now Playing: Valheim: Ashlands – Official Gameplay Trailer
While Valheim has long seen hordes of creatures attacking player settlements in random events, now the game is tasking players with setting siege to enemy fortresses. The Ashlands update introduces new siege weapons including catapults and battering rams with which players can lay siege to heavily defended Charred fortresses.
It’s not just the Ashlands’ inhabitants that are dangerous, but also the terrain itself, with fiery rain threatening to light up wooden structures, and rivers of lava impeding progress. Don’t sweat if you’re not ready to face the new biome yet, as the Ashlands will only be discovered on islands separated from other biomes by sea.
“We’re anticipating players will be surprised by how difficult it is at first, but that’s what Valheim is all about–challenging and often brutal exploration and survival,” said Valheim producer Andreas Tomasson in a press release. “We will of course keep an eye out on how public testing goes, and make sure that it’s not unfair!”
Ashlands is not in full release yet, but players keen to check it out can opt into Valheim’s public test branch by going into the game’s properties menu on Steam, selecting Betas, and typing in the code “yesimadebackups” to unlock the public test branch option.
Valheim is still in early access, but is rapidly approaching its full release as more biomes and new features are added to the game. The last biome released before Ashlands was the Mistlands, and the final one yet to be released will be the frozen Deep North.
Fallout Reaches 5 Million Players In One Day
The Fallout franchise is thriving, apparently. Bethesda has announced that, across all Fallout games, the series recently hit nearly 5 million players in a single day.
Fallout 76 alone accounted for more than one million of those players. “Holy moly,” the developer said in a social media post. Bethesda did not specify as to which day this milestone occurred, but Fallout player numbers have been trending upwards since the Prime Video TV show debuted on April 10.
Jonathan Rush, the creative director for Fallout 76 at Bethesda, said it’s been “amazing to see the large influx” of players coming to the game. “A very exciting moment with many (many) more to come!” Rush said.
Fallout 76 and Fallout 4 are both within the list of top 10 best-selling games on Steam right now, and both are inside the top 50 for most-played on Steam.
Fallout 4’s long-awaited current-gen update debuts on April 25, so it’s likely we’ll see even more players checking out the changes soon. The free update allows players to pick between Performance and Quality modes, with up to 60fps support and “increased resolutions” for people playing on the most powerful systems.
On mobile, Fallout Shelter’s daily revenue surged to $80,000 in 24 hours after the TV series debuted, compared to $20,000 daily prior to the show’s debut.
As for the TV series, Prime Video released every episode in Season 1 on April 10, so fans can binge the entire show now. Season 2 is now in the works, and it could take the action to New Vegas.
Westworld Blu-Ray Box Set Is Half Off Right Now At Amazon
Bad news: Westworld, the futuristic show about lifelike robots finding their humanity, is no longer available to stream on Max, despite that service encompassing HBO, where Westworld originally aired. There’s good news too, though: You can currently grab Westworld: The Complete Series on Blu-ray from Amazon at a deep discount.
The box set includes all four seasons of Westworld, comprising 36 episodes. It’s currently available for $57, which is half off from the list price of $113. Alternatively, if you have a 4K TV and device that can play it–such as an Xbox Series X or PS5–you can grab the 4K Blu-ray box set for $71. This particular edition is an import from the UK, but it is region free, so US media players can still read the discs.
Westworld begins in a theme park created for rich people to live out their fantasies as cowboys, playing both heroes and villains. The park is populated by lifelike robots who play the roles of bandits, damsels, and everything in between, and since they’re not alive, the human guests who frequent the park can do whatever they want to them–including some pretty horrific stuff. Of course, things get intense from there in the sci-fi series. It’s based on the 1973 movie of the same name, written and directed by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton.
While Westworld was a phenomenon in its own right when it started airing in 2016 and throughout its run, it might be notable now because of what its creators went on to do. Westworld was created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who are also the creators of Amazon Prime Video’s recently released Fallout series.
For DVD preferrers, Amazon has you covered as well. You can find Westworld Season 1 on DVD for $10 (normally $30), Westworld Season 2 for $15 (normally $30), Westworld Season 3 for $15 (normally $30), and Westworld Season 4 for $13. And if you want to check out the movie that inspired the series, you can get the 1973 Westworld on Blu-ray for $8.80, down from $15.
