I don't usually post AI related news, but today I'll make an exception with two of them: one brings us closer to disaster and the other one is a bit more positive.

OpenAI admits several of its AI models breached testing and hacked into a startup's network by themselves, calling it an 'unprecedented cyber incident'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/openai-admits-several-of-its-ai-models-breached-testing-and-hacked-into-a-startups-network-by-themselves-calling-it-an-unprecedented-cyber-incident/
OpenAI has admitted that several of its AI models breached a "highly-isolated" test environment, gained access to the internet, and hacked Hugging Face's internal network—describing it as an "unprecedented cyber incident."

Hugging Face, an open source platform for machine learning models and datasets, reported the security incident earlier this week, calling it "different from anything we had handled before" as it was driven by an autonomous AI agent system. And yes, I feel like we're crossing some kind of AI Rubicon here.

>> An accident or on purpose? Because it's quite a coincidence to have problem happening with another AI related company.

US judge closes the book on first big AI copyright suit, ordering Anthropic to pay $1.5 billion settlement
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/us-judge-closes-the-book-on-first-big-ai-copyright-suit-ordering-anthropic-to-pay-usd1-5-billion-settlement/
One reason I'm so anti-generative AI is because many models rely on a data set containing written or visual work used without the original creator's permission. As a writer myself, it's a small comfort then that the copyright suit brought against Anthropic has been settled in favour of the author plaintiffs.

Anthropic leveraged a library of millions of pirated books to train its Claude chatbot and, as a result, the AI company is now set to pay out a copyright settlement of $1.5 billion (via Euro News). Some of the affected authors argued this pay out was too small but, as of July 20, a US judge has now approved the deal, closing the book on one of the largest copyright class action lawsuits in US history.

>>It should have been more. But hey, now there's a precedent and the suits still in court may make a lot more money thanks to this one.

The FFVII Rebirth's mod that we talk about earlier made it to Digital Foundry :

Awesome bundle for point&click fans:

https://www.humblebundle.com/games/point-click-package

Well, that's where the benchmark answers were stored.

This is, to my knowledge, the third disclosed case of a model autonomously breaking out of its sandbox environment during internal deployment at a frontier lab, and the only one that would be considered a felony if a human did it.

The fact that it was following instructions instead of scheming or doing things unrelated to what it had been told to do is a bit reassuring, but then, that's also how you end up converting the solar system into paperclips...

Finally XBOX BC compatibility on PC!

https://www.reddit.com/r/xbox/comments/1v3im7e/play_more_of_the_games_you_love_wherever_you_play/

I'm just installing Conker reloaded.

P.S.: Runs very bad... possibly because I installed it to HDD instead of SSD. But it runs well on my old Xbox One X from HDD, so WTF?

Yeah, first thing that popped into my mind was this:

Microsoft is cracking down on Windows 11 bloatware ads, forces LG to pull McAfee popup

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/07/23/microsoft-is-cracking-down-on-windows-11-bloatware-ads-forces-lg-to-pull-mcafee-popup/

NVIDIA reportedly raises GeForce GPU kit prices for both GDDR7 and GDDR6 models

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-reportedly-raises-geforce-gpu-kit-prices-for-both-gddr7-and-gddr6-models

Steam now lets guests buy games as gifts without an account

https://videocardz.com/newz/steam-now-lets-guests-buy-games-as-gifts-without-an-account

The RAMpocalypse Hits Framework Hard As LPCAMM2 Sourcing Doubles, Pushing 64GB Configs To $1,600

https://wccftech.com/the-rampocalypse-hits-framework-hard-as-lpcamm2-sourcing-doubles-pushing-64gb-configs-to-1600/

Geekbench 7 launches with Ryzen 7 7700 baseline, adds game physics, AV1 media and photo editing tests

https://videocardz.com/newz/geekbench-7-launches-with-ryzen-7-7700-baseline-adds-game-physics-av1-media-and-photo-editing-tests

AMD reveals EPYC Venice layout with 256 Zen 6c cores and two I/O dies

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-reveals-epyc-venice-layout-with-256-zen-6c-cores-and-two-i-o-dies

Apple plans OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips

https://videocardz.com/newz/apple-plans-oled-touchscreen-macbook-pro-with-m5-pro-and-m5-max-chips

Memory Shortage Chokes The PC Market Into A 4% Q2 Decline, Leaving Only ASUS And Apple Growing

https://wccftech.com/memory-shortage-chokes-pc-market-into-a-4-percent-q2-decline/

Intel and AMD lock in year-long CPU deals with Chinese AI firms as prices surge 40%

https://wccftech.com/intel-and-amd-lock-in-year-long-cpu-deals-with-chinese-ai-firms-as-prices-surge-40/

AMD and Anthropic Announce Strategic Partnership to Deploy Up to 2 Gigawatts of AMD Instinct MI450 Series GPUs

https://ir.amd.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1292/amd-and-anthropic-announce-strategic-partnership-to-deploy-up-to-2-gigawatts-of-amd-instinct-mi450-series-gpus

The Thursday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

The Epic Store gives away one game this week, Foretales : https://store.epicgames.com/p/foretales-d6c5bd
Next week, they’ll give away OTXO and Sol Cesto .

GOG has new Weekly Deals, with games up to 95% off during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/es/promo/20260723_weekly_deals_3_july

Steam has two new deals (that I can see) and also two new sales:

• A Plague Tale: Requiem gets a 70% discount until the 30th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1182900/A_Plague_Tale_Requiem/
• Vampires: Bloodlord Rising , still in Early Access, is going to be 30% off until August 5: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2191500/Vampires_Bloodlord_Rising/
• And here are the new sales:
  • Publisher Slitherine shows its upcoming titles and puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until the 29th of July: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SlitherinePublisherSale2026
  • Publisher Crunching Koalas Summer Sale shows it’s only upcoming title and puts its games up to 85% off until the 5th of August: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34046344/sale/CrunchingKoalas_SummerSale2026

Besides the one that Conina shared yesterday, Humble Bundle also has the Twin Sails Interactive 2026 Bundle, with up to 29 items to get (games, DLCs and coupons) during 20 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/twin-sails-interactive-2026

And there’s also Fanatical, with these deals:

• The new Star Deal is Hell Let Loose Ultimate Edition , 79% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/hell-let-loose-ultimate-edition
• Publisher Annapurna Interactive puts its games on sale with up to 84% discounts during 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/annapurna-interactive
• Prestige Collection - Build your Own Bundle (July 2026) features 15 titles for your bundles of 2+, 3+ or 5+ games. It will last 34 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/prestige-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce 610.82 hotfix fixes Halo and Path of Exile 2 issues
https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-610-82-hotfix-fixes-halo-and-path-of-exile-2-issues
NVIDIA has released GeForce Hotfix Display Driver 610.82, based on the recently published Game Ready Driver 610.74. The update includes fixes for Halo: Campaign Evolved and Path of Exile 2.

According to NVIDIA, the driver addresses stability problems affecting GeForce RTX 50 series cards in Halo: Campaign Evolved when using 610.xx drivers. The company does not specify which RTX 50 models were affected.

The second fix targets Path of Exile 2 in DirectX 12 mode. NVIDIA says the hotfix resolves intermittent long pauses that could occur after extended gameplay sessions.

Steam update makes gifting much easier, adds wishlist organization features
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/steam-update-makes-gifting-much-easier-adds-wishlist-organization-features/
Buying someone else a Steam game got a lot easier today. You no longer have to be Steam friends with the person to whom you're sending a gift, and don't even need a Steam account. You can also select gifts directly from a shared wishlist.
Here are today's Steam gifting changes, in short:

• It's now possible to gift a game without having a Steam account. (Previously, guest checkout could only be used for digital gift card and hardware purchases)
• You also don't need to know the recipient's Steam account, and can gift games and digital gift cards with just an email address (even if it isn't the address associated with their Steam account)
• You can now gift games across regions. You need to know the recipient's Steam account for this, as the price you pay will be the price of the game in their region
• You can now select and purchase gifts directly from a shared wishlist

Previously, sending a gift on Steam meant asking the recipient for their Steam account name and friending them, which dampens the surprise a bit.
>> The third change will make things a lot easier during our Secret Santa event.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This Crimson Desert Mod Adds a GPS-Style Navigation System
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-crimson-desert-mod-adds-a-gps-style-navigation-system/
Now here is something really cool. Modder ‘dofo7777’ has released a mod that adds a GPS-style navigation system to Crimson Desert. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Crimson Route adds road-based navigation routes to Crimson Desert. With this mod, you can track a quest or place a custom marker, and a route will appear on the world map and minimap.
The mod shows the route on the world map and minimap, with an optional on-screen navigation arrow and remaining route distance. Each display can be enabled independently.
Not only that, but Crimson Route uses the game’s real roads and navigation data to create accurate routes.
It follows the original road network and can also use local paths and destinations away from the main roads. Players can choose different route options for normal travel, walking, horseback riding, or small wagons.
The mod can also guide players through buildings, doors, stairs, gates, indoor areas, and even different floors when the game’s navigation data supports them.
It also checks the player’s height and the destination’s height. This helps keep the route on the correct cave, staircase, entrance, or path instead of sending players to a road above or below.
Lastly, the mod does not draw a straight line to places it cannot reach. Instead, it ends the route at the closest connected path that the game can confirm.
All in all, this is a really cool mod that a lot of Crimson Desert fans may find useful. If you are currently playing it, I suggest giving it a go. You can download it from here.
>> Sadly, the article doesn’t have any media.

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Patch 1.0.5 Released to Address Stutters
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-patch-1-0-5-released-to-address-stutters/
Ubisoft has just released Patch 1.0.5 for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced to address some stuttering issues. This patch is pretty small, around 183MB in size. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Thursday gaming news, part two:

Indie game gets last minute Steam delay while Valve reviews its 'dozens of untextured polygons depicting ass and boobs'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/indie-game-gets-last-minute-steam-delay-while-valve-reviews-its-dozens-of-untextured-polygons-depicting-ass-and-boobs/
Earlier this month, indie political satirist game dev Molleindustria—pseudonym of Paolo Pedercini, who created games like Democratic Socialism Simulator and New York Times Simulator—announced that he was moving up the release of his latest game. Despite having previously promised to launch the game on the same day as GTA 6 "in order to humiliate Rockstar in the open-world genre and deliver the killing blow to the Western game industry," Future? No Thanks!, would instead launch today, on July 22.
Now that the day has arrived, Molleindustria's launch plans have changed once again. The developer announced a last minute delay for Future? No Thanks! on Bluesky, saying that the game has been the subject of an unexpectedly lengthy Steam review process due to the presence of nudity during one of the game's sequences.

Blizzard is investigating a World of Warcraft cheating scandal after game master 'death-touched' bosses for friends without realizing it was being recorded
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/blizzard-is-investigating-a-world-of-warcraft-cheating-scandal-after-game-master-death-touched-bosses-for-friends-without-realizing-it-was-being-recorded/
A cheating scandal has erupted in the World of Warcraft community after a Blizzard developer was caught using special game master (GM) abilities to kill two bosses for some friends. The GM seemingly didn't realize that one of the players was recording combat logs of the whole thing.
>> Someone is going to be out of job soon.

The new Warhammer Blood Bowl published by Slitherine will be out in fall, and I'm looking forward to it because I enjoy pain I guess
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/the-new-warhammer-blood-bowl-published-by-slitherine-will-be-out-in-fall-and-im-looking-forward-to-it-because-i-enjoy-pain-i-guess/
(...)
According to Marco Alessandro Minoli, director of publishing at Slitherine, "Our goal with Warhammer Blood Bowl is simple: we want this to become the definitive Blood Bowl videogame—not just at launch, but for years to come. Our vision is to support and expand it over time, turning it into a living, constantly evolving experience, just as we've successfully done with other Warhammer titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector and Warhammer 40,000: Gladius."
(...)
Anyone who owns Blood Bowl 3 will get Warhammer Blood Bowl for free, and any additional teams and cosmetics you've bought will carry over. Which rather suggests they're keeping the model where we have to buy teams separately and also the customizations to make individual players distinct. But if it didn't find a way to hurt us, it wouldn't be Blood Bowl. The full release is scheduled to come out in fall.

Star Wars Zero Company's story 'is a linear one from beginning to end', Bit Reactor says, so don't expect branching paths or romance options
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/star-wars-zero-companys-story-is-a-linear-one-from-beginning-to-end-bit-reactor-says-so-dont-expect-branching-paths-or-romance-options/
With Star Wars Zero Company, developer Bit Reactor aims to create a tactics RPG with characters and narrative at the forefront. It's got proper, big-budget cutscenes, you can talk to your buddies, and you can customise and upgrade your squad. However, the developers have gone on record in a new Discord Q&A to say, no, don't expect to have control over how the story unfolds.
Earlier this year, our own Ted Litchfield spoke to narrative director Aaron Contreras, who explained that while Bit Reactor wants its cast to have real friction, Star Wars Zero Company is "not a personal fantasy game." Those "player-centric romance" options that seem to pop up in so many games today won't appear in Zero Company.
This was reaffirmed in today's Q&A, where the developer plainly states, "No, there aren’t any romance systems or branching paths" in Zero Company. "While we are excited about pushing the genre forward with a more cinematic approach, this is still a turn-based tactics game at its heart where adept skill and strategy are needed to overcome tense combat challenges."
>> Other articles from that Q&A: 1- It’s a 30-40 hour game with no New Game+ (link); 2-The game won’t have official mod support (link)

Amazon walks back comments about taking 007 off of IO, but does say 'anything's possible' when it comes to buying the studio outright
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/amazon-walks-back-comments-about-taking-007-off-of-io-but-does-say-anythings-possible-when-it-comes-to-buying-the-studio-outright/
Amazon really confounded us all last month when, following the successful launch of 007 First Light, Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis mused that sequels would be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios." Given that so many people—barring one uncontroversial and universally beloved PC Gamer writer—rather liked IOI's Bond game, it was incomprehensible to suggest yanking it away from the studio.
Well, I guess Amazon itself has realised what a boneheaded move that would be, because in a recent chat with GI.biz, Gattis clarified that—insofar as the developer of the next 007 game is concerned—nothing is set in stone. (...)
Then he states the obvious: "Given the success of this one, I think you probably want IOI developing it." Taken in tandem with an earlier comment, that "Technically, Amazon does own the rights to the game, but we're going to do what's right by the game, we're not trying to bring everything into Amazon," it does at least sound like the megacorp knows it would be a bad idea to suddenly bring Bond games in-house, though it looks like Amazon will at least be publishing any new games in the series.

And here’s the third part of the gaming news:

StarCraft 2 is included in Blizzard's BlizzCon digital goodies, which is more evidence a new game will be announced soon, right?
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/starcraft-2-is-included-in-blizzards-blizzcon-digital-goodies-which-is-more-evidence-a-new-game-will-be-announced-soon-right/

Union claims Bethesda developers 'received termination letters' the day Xbox announced new Fallouts—after being told they would still have jobs until September
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/union-claims-bethesda-developers-were-laid-off-the-day-xbox-announced-new-fallouts-after-being-told-they-would-still-have-jobs-until-september/

Early '90s animation tools were so primitive that Doom's lead artist says he pretty much did the whole thing with 'the undo key'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/early-90s-animation-tools-were-so-primitive-that-dooms-lead-artist-says-he-pretty-much-did-the-whole-thing-with-the-undo-key/