A Community Manager's post on Bethesda.net indicates that the Fallout 76 exploit reported today has been addressed (thanks Dave). Here's the post about what they're doing to address the problem and compensate affected players, topped off by an update saying servers have been patched:

Update - 5:00 p.m. ET, Dec 23:

As an update, we just completed PC maintenance in order to address this exploit. Thank you for your patience and your reports while we investigated this issue.

Hi everyone,

We are investigating reports of a PC-only exploit that could be abused by cheaters, which may have resulted in a few players losing items that their characters had equipped. We have been actively working toward a solution for this and have a fix that we are currently evaluating for release today.

While we’ve determined that only a small number of characters have been negatively affected, we are taking this very seriously and resolving this is currently our top priority.

We would like to apologize to those of you who were impacted by this exploit. We want to make this right, and we are currently looking into ways we may be able to compensate you. If you believe you have been affected, please let us know by submitting a ticket to our Customer Support team.

As mentioned above, this issue only affects PC, and we are currently planning to bring the PC version of the game offline today to release a fix. We will let you know as soon as we are ready to begin maintenance.

Cthulhu Saves Christmas is now available on GOG.com and Steam, offering a chance to celebrate the holidays with the Great Old Ones. Each site offers a 10% launch discount, but GOG.com is also throwing in a free copy of Cosmic Star Heroine with your purchase. Here's a trailer for your viewing pleasure, and here are some details to wrap your tentacles around:

The master of insanity, Cthulhu, has lost his powers (again!?) and the only way he can get them back is by rescuing Santa Claus from the League of Christmas Evil in this prequel to Cthulhu Saves the World!

Join Cthulhu, the Snow Maiden, Baba Yaga-chan, and Belsnickel as they build R'lyehtionships, fight the League of Christmas Evil, and catch the Christmas spirit! Fhtagn!

• Fight the Krampus, Mari Lwyd, and other Christmas League of Evil villains in unique, turn-based combat!
• Insanify your enemies!
• Build your R’lyehtionship levels with friends and foes in the super-streamlined life sim segments!
• Tentacles!
• Multi-character abilities!
• More chickens than you would expect in a Christmas game.
• Pacing that doesn't waste your time!
• Fun for the whole family!

Estimated time for single playthrough on medium difficulty: around 4-5 hours depending on playstyle.

Continue here to read the full story.

The Legacy Update is now available for Dead Cells on Steam, updating the roguelite action game with "a massive addition which features new items, mutations, and other stocking stuffers." In an interesting and unusual twist, this also allows players to relive any of the previous versions of the game. Here's the explanation:

Motion Twin and Evil Empire today released Dead Cells’ Legacy Update, a massive addition which features new items, mutations, and other stocking stuffers beside its key present to the community; fans can now defy time and return to Dead Cells’ previous iterations, exploring the range of features and mechanics within distinctive builds which paved the way for the critically acclaimed roguelite.

The Legacy Update spans back to Dead Cells’ very first Early Access version and will continue to gather new builds as the game evolves. The team couldn’t help but add a few extra bonuses, too; the Legacy Update includes two new mutations, rebalancing for the 3 least-used weapons and a Santa skin, which is kitsch as hell, as it should certainly be.

Continue here to read the full story.

• World War Z Horde Mode Z hotfix 23/12/2019. Thanks MP1st.

• The Making of Bastion - Documentary - Noclip.

• Why'd Alyx Get Recast? Exclusive Half-Life Interview - VNN.
• Here’s what happened behind the scenes of The Game Awards 2019 - The Washington Post.

• Germany Approves Dedicated Visa for Pro Esports Athletes.
• Astralis’ director calls its CS-GO team a “different kind of beast.”

• Pixel Devil And The Broken Cartridge Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Hello Neighbor: Home Invader Bundle Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Let's Sing Country - Platinum Edition Is Now Available For Xbox One.

• Prop Hunt arrives in Call of Duty: Mobile.

• Sling TV raises its prices but adds a few more channels.
• Stranger Things is now a pinball machine that lets you fight the Demogorgon. Thanks Kxmode.

• OWC Releases Accelsior 4M2 SSD: Quad-M.2 For Over 6000 MB/s.
• Macrium Reflect Free version 7.2.4594. Thanks DSLReports.

• Google and Apple remove alleged UAE spy app ToTok.
• Twitter blocks animated PNGs to keep trolls from using them to trigger seizures (updated).
• Chinese Hackers Successfully Managed to Bypass 2FA.
• The 10 worst dating trends of the decade, from 'orbiting' to 'breadcrumbing'.
• Plenty of Fish app was leaking users’ hidden names and postal codes.
• Greta Thunberg malware is not the present you want this Christmas.

• Cox Communications hit with $1 billion verdict over music piracy.

• Hong Kong and mainland China gamers clash on GTA V…
• The Witcher player count jumps on the back of Netflix show’s release…

Link of the Day: World's Fastest Juggler - 2020. Thanks Boing Boing.

Obituary: 9 Inspirational Ram Dass Quotes After Spiritual Teacher Dies Aged 88. Thanks RedEye9.

You drive me ape, you big gorilla! APE OUT is now available with a 100% discount on the Epic Games Store as today's entry in their daily holiday giveaway event. This is yours to keep if you pick up before tomorrow at 11:00 am EDT when their next freebie will become available. Here's word on this rhythmic Windows action game:

APE OUT is a wildly intense and colorfully stylized smash ‘em up about primal escape, rhythmic violence, and frenetic jazz.

Build up nearly unstoppable momentum and use your captors as both weapons and shields to crush everyone on your procedurally generated path to freedom.

Grab and Smash
Unleash your primal instincts and incredible strength to overpower your captors. Hold them steady to create a human shield, smash their feeble bodies into walls, or throw one into another in a violent explosion of humanity.

Dynamic Soundtrack
Find your rhythm in the chaos as a dynamic soundtrack of drums, cymbals, and decapitations drive the action to the edge of mayhem.

Stylish Escape
Embrace bold colors and a dazzling perspective as you rush through corridors, open areas, and twisting labyrinths on a mad dash for freedom. Overcome all manner of opposition, nefarious traps, and breakable obstacles to find each exit and escape captivity.

"I hear it's raining cats and dogs in Idaho!" A tweet from SCS Software announces that Idaho will be the next DLC for American Truck Simulator, their hard-driving transportation game (thanks PC Gamer). The Steam Listing for this is already online, and the description makes it clear this add-on is not small potatoes:

Idaho is a northwestern U.S. state known for mountainous landscapes, and vast swaths of protected wilderness and outdoor recreation areas. The capital, Boise, is set in the Rocky Mountain foothills and is bisected by the Boise River, which is popular for rafting and fishing.

The state covers two time zones, runs from Canada to Nevada, and encompasses the western side of the continental divide of the Rocky Mountains. Rivers, mountains and farmland dominate the state’s landscape. The panhandle has emerald green hillsides, timbered mountains and pristine lakes. Central Idaho is covered with jagged peaks. The Snake River Plain, with its wide open vistas, irrigated farm lands and vibrant cities forms the character of Southern Idaho.

The Fallout 76 Reddit warns Fallout 76 players against playing on public servers until a fix comes to address a way hackers can steal inventory items (thanks DSOGaming). Here's the PSA:

As many of you might know, a recent hack has been developed for Fallout 76 on PC that gives hackers the ability to steal items out of your inventory. Your caps, scrip, access to various locations and stash box/scrap box items are safe. Your weapons and armor, and any other inventory items are not safe.

Edit to add: this is unrelated to person-to-person trading, which is safe. The stealing is done through a "remote" hack, which merely requires the hacker to be in your vicinity (within render distance).

Since there is no way of knowing what player is using the hack, the only way to avoid it, is to not play on a public server. If you or friends of yours have a Fallout 1st subscription, you might want to stick to playing on a private server for a while. If you do play on a public server, it might be beneficial to store your best weapons and armor. (Or maybe switch to that lower level character you've got lined up and don't really care about that much yet.)

A recent Stadia Community Round-Up announces that achievements are now working in the Chrome browser and Chromecast versions of Stadia, Google's cloud gaming service (thanks VGC). Word is:

As of 12/19, our first version of Achievements are live on Chrome browser and Chromecast, and players can check out the following features:

• On both Chrome browser and Chromecast, players can open their own profile to view the last three achievements earned for the last game played. Clicking on one of these achievements will open a detailed Achievements page.
• On Chrome browser, players can open a full view of all games played by the player.
  • Selecting a game will open a detailed page containing all Achievements for a game, status of each achievement, and progress if provided by the game.
• Players can view the Achievements of other players who have chosen to make them visible by selecting the other player’s profile.
  • You can control who can view your Achievements in your Stadia Settings, under Friends & privacy..

Mobile app users, hang tight! We have more in store for Achievements in 2020, including mobile support.

Epic Games has recently removed V-Bucks and cosmetic items from the accounts of Fortnite Battle Royale players, reports Blasting News. At issue is the unauthorized purchase of V-Bucks from third-party sellers, which is against Epic's terms of service. Here's word:

Third-party sellers get most of their costumers over social media websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as websites like eBay.

Buying 13,500 V-Bucks costs $99.99 for players from the United States, yet third-party sellers offered this amount of the in-game currency for under $60, which is a much better deal.

However, Epic Games has mentioned numerous times that players should buy "Fortnite Battle Royale" V-Bucks only through the official sellers. At the moment, the official sellers include V-Bucks card retailers, in-game stores, as well as console stores such as PlayStation Store. Any other source of V-Bucks is most likely a fraud and the game developer has the right to remove V-Bucks obtained through third-party sellers. Considering that most of these sellers obtain the valuable currency by doing chargebacks, this is not allowed and the gaming company has its profit reduced because of it.

Many players have lost their V-Bucks and even cosmetic items recently.

Speaking of Epic, there's a profile of Tim Sweeney in the Raleigh News & Observer, as the Epic Games CEO is a finalist for their Tar Heel of the Year, an award to recognize North Carolina residents who have made significant contributions to the area. They discuss his various accomplishments in the world of video games, and the impact of the huge success of Fortnite. But they also draw attention to his concern for the environment, calling him one of North Carolina's most prolific conservationists and largest private landowners. Word is: "Sweeney, pragmatic in his approach, has chosen to invest in the long-term, not just for himself, but to ensure the state’s natural habitats remain undeveloped." Here's an explanation:

“Land conservation is the one unquestionably practical and cost-effective thing we can do to protect ecology and the future habitability of the planet,” Sweeney told the University of Maryland about his efforts. “You can spend $100 on land conservation, and less than $5 of it is lost to overhead.”

Sweeney has cobbled together around 50,000 acres of wild forest land in North Carolina, stretching from the Triangle all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to Inside Philanthropy. He has saved pine forests near Pinehurst to nearly entire mountains in the western part of the state.

Often after he has bought land, he will transfer it to a conservation organization, like he did near Mount Mitchell State Park, or place conservation designations on property, such as a 7,000-acre tract of the Box Creek Wilderness.

In acquiring all of that land, Sweeney took advantage of having a growing net worth during the last recession that knocked out most of the real estate industry. While large developers were failing to build subdivisions on massive tracts of forest land, Sweeney bought them out. With his vast holdings, he hopes to create biological corridors for rare and unstable plant and animal species.

• Star Wars Games Sale on GOG.com.
• The Witcher Games Sale on GOG.com.

• WARFACE Operation "Hydra" Update now live.
• This mod brings Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra to The Witcher 3.

• Gamasutra: Celia Hodent's Blog - Ethics in the Videogame Industry: A Mythbusting and Scientific Approach.
  "Videogames are increasingly popular. It is thus becoming imperative that game developers and studios spend more time and effort in reflecting on the responsibilities and moral duties of the game industry. As Miguel Sicart says, “[Game developers] should not just be told that they are morally accountable, but also understand why and how they are morally accountable.” This is why I humbly gave my cognitive science perspective on this topic, otherwise tackled by others with different angles, to help advance ethics in videogames. My point was also to debunk the many misconceptions and myths around videogames and the brain, that are not only distracting the public and potentially creating moral panics, but also slowing down ethical considerations by game studios that are more likely to instead be defensive in reaction to the numerous negative impacts they are accused of."

• Tyler1 says his next League of Legends tournament will be held in a “huge stadium.”
• DrLupo raises $2.3 million in 24 hours for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

• Verizon’s 5G network covers parts of 31 cities, matching 2019 goal.

• Locked Out: US sanctions are ruining online gaming in Iran. Thanks A51Abductee.
• The Netflix decade: How one company changed the way we watch TV.
• Broadband Usage to Spike 19% During Holiday Period, OpenVault Predicts. Thanks Ant.
• Streaming TV isn't just taking viewers away; it's taking ad dollars now, too.

• And Action! An Examination of Physics in Video Games - TechSpot.
• Microsoft and KKBOX Group launch global strategic partnership. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Western Digital Begins to Sample 18 TB & 20 TB ‘Energy Assisted’ Hard Drives.

• How contextual targeting will replace cookies in the privacy age.
• The Worst Hacks of the Decade.
• Fund manager defends backing blacklisted Chinese surveillance firm.

• Detroit: Become Human PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• Frog Detective 2 is a great farcical escape from the holidays - The Verge. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Jedi Fallen Order Review - Redneck of Tech.

• ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme TRX40 Motherboard Review: The Second Coming - AnandTech.
• FSP CMT350 Case Review - APH Networks.
• Hexgears Impulse Keyboard Review - TechPowerUp.

• 16 games with holiday themes and levels to help you get into the cheerful spirit - GOG.com…

Happy Festivus! This falls neatly between the start of Chanukah and Christmas Eve, living up to its billing as a holiday for the rest of us. So set up the aluminum pole, prepare your grievances for airing, and please be sure to stretch properly before engaging in any feats of strength.

Festive Links:	Thanks Ant.
Play:	10×10.
Stories:	Screaming fight at The Rise of Skywalker screening captured on video. A 78-foot alligator bonfire was just built on a Mississippi River levee. Thanks Neutronbeam. Cats is Getting a Day-One Patch From Universal. Thanks Neutronbeam.
Science:	China flight systems jammed by pig farm’s African swine fever defences. Thanks Max.
Images:	Love the department of transportation here in Arizona.
Media:	World's First Protosaber! (REAL BURNING LIGHTSABER). AVGN's Yule Log of Video Games. Eleven Raccoons Stuck Inside Porch. Only counted nine.
Follow-up:	Boeing Fires C.E.O. Dennis Muilenburg. Daniel Craig Talks Why He Did A Fifth Bond.