BBC News has details on a video game crime ring broken-up by Italian authorities that resulted in the seizure of counterfeit video games and consoles with a street value of over US$52 million (thanks brother19). The seized games "all from China" are reportedly now destroyed, and nine individuals face up to eight years in prison for trading in counterfeit goods. Word is the games were titles popular in the 1980s-90s, and the consoles were imitations of Nintendo, Sega, and Atari systems which "did not meet strict safety standards."

Around 12,000 consoles holding over 47 million pirated video games were seized by police, Alessandro Langella, head of the economic crime unit for Turin's financial police, told the AFP news agency.

The haul had an estimated value of €47.5m, Mr Langella said, a figure which includes the value of the consoles and hundreds of licenses for the pirated programs.

They were "all from China" and were imported to be sold in specialised shops or online, Mr Langella said.

StormEdge is now available for Windows PC on GOG.com* and Steam, and this action/roguelike from Shieldbreaking Games and HypeTrain Digital is 10% off for the next two weeks. This recent gameplay trailer shows off fast-paced gameplay and retro pixel-art graphics. If you're still on the fence, there's a playable demo on Steam to see just how edgy this is. Here's more:

StormEdge is an Action-Roguelite where you have to balance your desire to use powerful skills with the risk of taking damage or putting yourself in a vulnerable position. Experiment and try new things!

You will take the role of one of the bravest and most talented mages who is forming StormEdge – a guild whose aim is to stop the elemental storms and save the world.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

• Learn To Create Game Art in Blender 2024 (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*
• Save 40% on Nightingale on Steam.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Penny's Big Breakaway studio Evening Star announces another half a dozen layoffs - Eurogamer.net.

• Latino Representation in Gaming Coalition Backed by Joaquin Castro - Variety.

• Watch Dogs movie finally finishes filming - Eurogamer.net.

• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: September 13, 2024.

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Dragon’s Dogma 2 Mod Gives Unique Effects to Over 20 Weapons - DSOGaming.
• The Witcher 3- Next-Gen Mod Restores Ciri’s Witcher Ending - DSOGaming.

• New Meta Quest 3S Virtual Reality Headset Feature Leaks - GameRant.
• Everything to expect at Meta Connect 2024- AR, AI and the cheaper Quest 3S - Engadget.

• Microsoft uses automated robots to disassemble and recycle HDDs — company typically shreds two million hard drives per year - Tom's Hardware. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Elon Musk and Larry Ellison begged Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for AI GPUs at dinner - Tom's Hardware.

• Port of Seattle hit by Rhysida ransomware in August attack - Bleeping Computer. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• TikTok oral arguments will weigh security risks against free speech - The Verge.
• U.S. hits Russian state media with new sanctions - NPR.

• Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Benchmarks & PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown review - tech issues mar the return of the original name in open-world racers - Eurogamer.net.
• Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Review - IGN.
• Warhammer: Space Marine 2 Performance Benchmark Review - 35 GPUs Tested - TechPowerUp.

• Case: MSI MAG PANO 100L PZ Mid-Tower Chassis - TweakTown.

The Hollywood Reporter has a story on Roland Emmerich, noting that he's getting ready to shop a Lawrence of Arabia remake. So take whatever complaints I would normally register about remaking a classic and amplify them quite a bit, since we're talking about Roland Emmerich. He is apparently oblivious to his oeuvre, as the director hopes "to do a little bit what Godfather II did." But since he is the creator of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, it's more likely this will involve T.E. Lawrence trekking across the entire desert to save his son, or some side character winning World War I by heroically flying his Sopwith Camel into enemy HQ.

Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Brunch Link

• One Quarter of America's Bridges May Collapse Within 26 Years - Popular Mechanics. Thanks Reddit.

Stories

• A Sports Memorabilia Gold Mine Is Uncovered in Virginia - The New York Times.
• Campbell's drops 'soup' from its company name - NPR. Thanks Boing Boing.

Science

• Bizarre, nine-day seismic signal caused by epic landslide in Greenland - Ars Technica.

Media

• Trap Pitch Meeting.

Creature Features

• Bonnie and Simba- The World's Smartest Dogs - Guinness World Records.