John Smedley's twitter account has a bunch of posts about the launch of H1Z1 in early access (thanks IncGamers). A tweet replying to a complaint about "the airdrop P2W issue" offers a refund, and this is followed by word they are offering "no questions asked" refunds through Monday. His most recent tweet on the topic says they have asked Valve to honor refund requests this weekend, which follows this tweet pointing to a reddit post with more on their policy:

Hi folks,

If you feel like the airdrops are an issue for you, you may immediately request a refund to bwilcox@soe.sony.com - this offer applies till Monday and it applies only to people that have purchased the game as of 10:30am Pacific today 1/16/2015 -

Please note that this is going through us, not Steam. Which means it's a little more work so please be patient with the actual refund (it may take a day or two).
Smed

The Rockstar Warehouse now features preorders of the PC edition of Grand Theft Auto V, offering a free game as a bonus for the advance commitment, along with a pile of in-game cash. Because the free game is given up front, customers will be charged 15% of the cost of their order immediately. For those looking to save a little real money on the deal, it can be had from Green Man Gaming for 23% off with coupon code found on DEALZON. And for those in the U.K., the game is on Gamesplanet.com for 20% off.

There's a thread on GitHub about an issue with Steam for Linux that can cause the deletion of everything on a user's system. This begins with one user's story, though other examples of where this has happened have surfaced, and Valve seems to be in the midst of investigating the problem. Thanks PCWorld via HARDOCP.

Starbreeze Studios has sold the rights to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons to 505 Games, reports GamesIndustry, saying 505 now owns the game, trademarks, and domain for the BAFTA award-winning action/adventure. "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a remarkable game, one of the most affecting games of the last generation and one of which 505 Games has been very proud to be associated," says Ian Howe, President of 505 Games. "This acquisition reflects 505 Games' stated strategy of owning and controlling its own IP, and, moreover, IP that can contribute something meaningful to the world of interactive entertainment." The price of the transaction is reportedly $500,000.

Focus Home Interactive announces Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, a PC real-time strategy game in the works at Tindalos Interactive based on Games Workshop's based on the Warhammer series. They've posted some screenshots with a first look at what to expect, saying these are from an early version of the game, and they do not yet offer a release window. Here's word:

Developed on Unreal Engine 4, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is an RTS in which the player takes command of one of these battlefleets composed of the most powerful spaceships from the Imperial, Chaos, Eldar and Ork forces, in a no-quarter given struggle for the control of the Gothic sector of space.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada offers deep management of every ship composing the player's fleet, both during and between battles. From the fastest frigates to the gigantic, miles-long battleships, the player will customize all aspects of his ships: weaponry, defense and support sub-systems, etc. each customization affecting the very performances of the ship and the special abilities available during battle. From battle to battle, the admirals and crew of surviving ships will gain experience and promotions, improving the battle-readiness of the ship for future, bigger and more dangerous battles.

Controversial isometric shooter Hatred is being rated AO (Adults Only) in the U.S. reports Polygon, saying they have confirmed this with the ESRB. AO ratings are very unusual, and this case seems even more so, as the rating was apparently prompted by the game's language and violence, while the AO rating is typically triggered by sexual content. "Well, I'm not quite convinced why Hatred got AO rating while it lacks any sexual content, but it's still some kind of achievement to have the second game in history getting AO rating for violence and harsh language only. Even if this violence isn't really that bad and this harsh language isn't overused," writes one of the developers on their registration-required forums. "I would prefer to get a standard M+ rating, because with AO we will have problems to to get to consoles in the future, but on the other hand I think you guys (our fans) would be disappointed with it."

A new Gat out of Hell launch trailer heralds next week's release of Gat out of Hell, the first expansion for Saints Row IV. Here's word: "Launching in North America on Tuesday, January 20th, the trailer is a four minute long Infomercial of Awesomeness™ featuring the enemies Kinzie and Johnny Gat will meet as they are sucked into the depths of Hell, the incredible weapons you will use fighting Satan and a laundry list of issues you may encounter performing takedowns (BLOODY EYES, YA’LL!)." Continue here to read the full story.

• Games Workshop titles on Humble Mumble.
• The Mystery 3 Bundle on Indie Royale.
• Warlock 2: The Exiled on Steam. Save 75%.

• World of Warcraft 6.0.3 Hotfixes: January 15.

• Verdun 1914-1918 on Armchair General.

• Rock and Survey. Thanks nin via reddit.
• D&D Neverwinter Xbox One closed beta to begin in February.
• Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight out now on Wii U Virtual Console.

• Netflix “refused” to answer encryption allegation, FCC commissioner says.

• Did Windows XP rise from the dead in December? Not exactly. Thanks Ant.
• Linus Torvalds on why he isn’t nice- “I don’t care about you.”

• Google drops more Windows 0-days. Something’s gotta give.
• Survey says security products waste our time.

• A note on disclosure - PC Gamer. Follow up to this. Thanks One Angry Gamer…
• World of Warcraft may be adding free-to-play for 'veterans'…

Link of the Day: Trolling an OK Cupid scammer. NSFW.

There's word on gamesTM from Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin on the open-world action game, and plans for a sequel. Rather than saying the original Watch Dogs under-delivered, he says they "over-achieved" in creating expectations for the series. He talks of the pressure this puts on Watch Dogs 2 to live up to everyone's hopes. Here's what he sees as the challenges they face:

Morin already has some plans. Although he says it is too early to go into intricate detail about them, he wants players to continue creating their own stories using features like the Profiler. He also wants his team to refrain from filling in too many narrative gaps. “We want to allow them to play with a very different state of mind, not wrap up concepts for them.” He talks about expanding on the alternate realities, “players loved the idea of other players who create an alternate reality in their games and knowing that now opens up a lot of new possibilities of what online can do.” More than that, he wants to reassess everything about Watch Dogs, including the ideas that were originally dismissed, and reconsider them again. Everything is back on the table.

Activision sends along a humble brag, though it's light on the humble and heavy on the brag. According to the publisher, they concluded 2014 with the top-selling videogame, the top children's game, and the number one new IP of the year. "We'd like to thank our fans for making Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare the #1 top-selling video game in the world, Skylanders Trap Team the top-selling kids game in the world and Destiny the #1 new video game IP of 2014," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "As much fun as we had making these games, we've had even more fun playing alongside you. Stay tuned. We have more exciting games in store for fans this year." Here's word:

Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), delivered the top-selling console video game of 2014 with Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare and the top-selling kids video game in the world with Skylanders Trap Team.1 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare topped the U.S. charts for 2014 and claimed the title of the #1 top-selling console game of 2014 globally.¹ Call of Duty is also the #1 franchise in the U.S. for the sixth year in a row in the U.S., based on revenue.² Skylanders® Trap Team is the #1 top-selling kids video game globally, and Skylanders is the #1 kids video game franchise of the year in the U.S, and globally, for the third year in a row, based on retail sell-through including toys and accessories.<sup>1

1</sup> Based on physical game unit sell-through data, according to NPD, GfK, and Activision internal estimates.
² Based on physical game unit-sell through, according to NPD.

As they approach their 40th year of developing operating systems for personal computers, Microsoft says they are getting the hang of this gaming thing, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer says they are working towards making Windows 10 "the best operating system we've ever created for gamers on PCs," according to GameSpot. "We remain committed to gaming on console, but we know that we have fans and gamers that also play on PC and phone," Spencer said. "And it's important that we build out the features that we have, learning from what we've done on console, and helping make Windows 10 the best operating system we've ever created for gamers on PCs."

A new life in the city trailer from CITIES XXL shows off more of the upcoming urban-planning sequel, celebrating the relaunch of the game's official website. Focus Home Interactive also announces preorders of the game are now underway on Steam, and while buying the game in advance gets you a 20% discount, they also follow-up on word of a loyalty discount, saying those who already own CITIES XL will get the new game for half off. Here's word on the new trailer: "In Cities XXL, you build, develop and manage cities with millions of inhabitants on over 65 huge maps powered by an improved engine; many of the 1000+, unique-looking buildings featuring animated city life, with citizens strolling through the streets. They will even dress representative of the neighborhood they're in and the citizen class they're part of, so be sure to take care of those noise and smog pollution levels, which are now managed on a local level in Cities XXL. To discover the potential for civilian life in your city, take a look at the new 'Life in the City' trailer!" Continue here to read the full story.

• SKETCH TALES- Play & Draw RPG Sandbox by 8D Studio — Kickstarter. Cancelled. Future plans outlined.

• When Jumping into Gamergate Turns into Fearing For Your Life. Anita Sarkeesian and Brianna Wu on Nightline.

• NPD: Xbox One leads US hardware in December.
• Minecraft getting Simpsons DLC on Xbox next month.
• Xbox Game Content Usage Rules Clarification.

• Glow Puzzle on the App Store on iTunes.

• Intel Reports Record Q4 And Full Year Revenue.
• Unreal Engine 4 Linux Tests With AMD & NVIDIA Graphics Drivers.

• Cleared your browser cookies? It won't stop ad company using Verizon tracking header. Thanks Ant.
• With crypto in UK crosshairs, secret US report says it’s vital.

• FBI — Man Faces Five Years in Federal Prison in ‘Swatting’ Case. Thanks Derek.
• Shocking: CIA clears CIA in Senate hacking brouhaha.
• Mt. Gox owner- “I am not Dread Pirate Roberts.”
• Apple, Google give high tech workers an extra $90 million in “no-poach” suit.
• Teenager arrested over PSN and Xbox Live DDoS attacks.

• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on True PC Gaming.

• Amazon Fire HD 7 (2014) Tablet on Techgage.
• E-Blue Cobra Gaming Bundle on pcGameware.
• ECS LIVA X Mini PC on PC Perspective.
• GIGABYTE X99 Gaming 5 LGA 2011-v3 Motherboard on HARDOCP.
• HIS Multi-View USB Portable Docking Station on Mad Shrimps.
• Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Case on Benchmark Reviews.
• Raijintek Metis Windowed Case on ocaholic.
• Reeven Justice RC-1204 Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
• Super Talent DuraDrive AT7 SSD on The SSD Review.
• Thermaltake NiC L32 Non-Interference CPU Cooler on TweakTown.

• #GamerGate: PC Gamer Editor Has Conflict Of Interest With Ubisoft…
• Sergey Titov's Blog - Postmortem: Launching The War Z. Thanks HARDOCP…

Dear SUPERAntiSpyware: Why does it take your program 30 minutes to delete a couple of hundred tracking cookies? Cookies are tiny, and deleting even large files is quick. Does this work at normal speed if you buy the registered version? Is there something going on here I don't understand? And do I really need to be deleting these? And why do I suddenly have a craving for cookies? So many questions.

Questionable Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Rats Invasion 2. Rolling Drones 2. StrikeForce Kitty 2.
Science:	Elon Musk donates $10 million to keep robots from murdering you. You're welcome.
Images:	What's Riker Doing?
Media:	Cyborg Animates with Repurposed Power Glove. May be the cutest ferret ever. Westjet 737-700 pushed across the tarmac by strong winds.
The Funnies:	First Time is Always Awkward. Thanks dakslf.