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Assetto Corsa is almost old enough to be heading off to High School yet the popular racing sim has grown up so unbelievably over the last few years due to its thriving modding scene playing it now you could be fooled into thinking it was born yesterday.
Despite new challengers on the horizon such as Rennsport and even Assetto Corsa Evo from its own stable, the original AC has so much new content available for it outside the scope of the original release, that it is going to be difficult to knock off its perch for some time yet.
That is why professional modding studio Authentic Simulation is going all in on what it hopes will be the “last great mod for Assetto Corsa” as it prepares to look to a forthcoming Kickstarter campaign to back a fully drivable version of Portugal.
The video below shows this is no nebulous wish, a ton of work has already been done before the Kickstarter so that backers will be able to get their hands on something immediately. The cash raised from the crowdfunder will go towards bringing more people on board and fleshing out over 500km of roads, around which about 120km of them already exist.

The “Portugal Openworld Project for Assetto Corsa will be the largest drivable open world ever created,“ said the devs, and with previous form bringing content to Assetto Corsa, BeamNG, and Rennsport, the team is well placed to make this a spectacular addition to AC.
There is also mention in the video about the possibility of even using the map in a standalone game in the future, but this is not within the initial scope of the map which is based on real-life road, topographical, and building data.

One of the interesting points mentioned is that every player will have their own unique, customizable starting building that you will be able to make changes in and will, in effect, be “owned” by you – although the team was at pains to point out that it is not in the NFT sense. It will be yours and yours alone, but you will not “own” it as such.
The video above is an announcement video really but with a lot of insane detail. The Kickstarter is due to launch soon, and we will bring you more details on it when we get them.
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There is speculation suggesting that a sequel to the 2021 video game “Aliens: Fireteam Elite” may be in the works, with a potential release set for 2025. The rumor was fueled by leaked screenshots of a document on social media platforms, including Reddit, detailing what could be the next installment in the Alien game series. This possible sequel, named “Project Macondo,” is said to introduce new gameplay features such as “Annihilation,” a variant of the Horde Mode popular in other shooters, filled with Xenomorph challenges.
The information comes as it was revealed that 1 Tebibyte (around 1.1TB) of data was lifted from Disney’s servers, which includes information on unreleased games, images, internal messaging, and pretty much everything.
The Alien franchise is already anticipating a new game launch at the end of 2024. This upcoming release, titled “Alien: Rogue Incursion,” marks the series’ debut on virtual reality platforms and is under development by Survios. “Alien: Rogue Incursion” is expected to cater to VR enthusiasts with immersive gameplay and new features.

Meanwhile, the 2025 game, still under wraps, appears to be tailored for fans of action-based experiences. It is promising to build on the legacy of its predecessors while introducing fresh elements to the franchise.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 Leaked byu/firemonkey11 inAliensFireteamElite

What is the new Aliens game about?
The apparent sequel to “Aliens: Fireteam Elite” is reportedly set to widen the scope of the original game by introducing improved mechanics, new adversaries, new weaponry, and more game modes, alongside a fresh story.
Unlike its predecessor’s personalization features, the new installment may have “fixed preset character archetypes and non-customizable characters,” in contrast to the weapon customization that players enjoyed in the first game. The sequel is also expected to rely on console voice chat applications, moving away from the in-game voice chat feature used previously.
Interestingly, the leaked document outlining the details suggests a departure from the usual gaming monetization strategies, such as micro-transactions, loot boxes, and gacha systems, which have faced widespread criticism in recent years.
However, whether the document is authentic remains unconfirmed as it appears to have been created some time ago, and its contents might have changed during the development process. As of now, there is no official confirmation from Cold Iron Studio regarding the development of a new Alien video game.
If this sequel to “Aliens: Fireteam Elite” is indeed in development, it is hoped that there will be more information soon. The documents suggest that the game is aiming for a release window between July and September of 2025 and is expected to be available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.
Featured image: Canva / Ideogram
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Google is reportedly nearing a monumental acquisition of cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $23 billion, marking its largest purchase.
This potential deal outstrips its previous record of $12.5 billion paid for Motorola Mobility in 2012. Wiz, originating from Israel and currently based in New York, stands out as one of the world’s rapidly expanding software startups. It specializes in cloud-based cybersecurity services that include real-time threat identification and mitigation, using advanced artificial intelligence technology.
In 2023, Wiz reported revenues of around $350 million and worked with 40 per cent of Fortune 100 companies, as per its website. The company recently secured $1 billion in private funding, bringing its valuation to $12 billion.
Google, aiming to develop its cloud computing offerings, has previously acquired several companies, including the $5.4 billion purchase of cybersecurity firm Mandiant in 2022, and Siemplify, another cybersecurity entity. Wiz has partnered with major tech players like Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle, and has a customer base that includes prominent firms such as Morgan Stanley and DocuSign.
Could Google’s acquisition of Wiz face issues?
If Alphabet, Google’s parent company, moves ahead with its acquisition of Wiz, it would mark a major, albeit rare, mega-deal within the tech industry under the intense regulatory gaze of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. This period has seen a noticeable tightening in regulatory attitudes towards the expansion of large tech entities through mergers and acquisitions.
The U.S. Justice Department has actively pursued Google with two major antitrust lawsuits—one challenging its dominance in search engines and another aimed at dismantling its digital advertising technology sector. A decision on the search lawsuit is anticipated by this summer.
According to The New York Times, the initiative to buy Wiz has been spearheaded by Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. Kurian is keen on boosting his division’s ties to cybersecurity, which the Wiz acquisition could substantially support. The startup, which counts top firms like BMW and Slack among its clients, focuses on mitigating security risks for companies using cloud computing services.
Featured image: Canva / Ideogram
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Lie with dogs and you will wake up with fleas. The old proverb still rings true to this day and a Disney employee today will allegedly be waking up to a cold chill and a morning of internal meetings after being outed as “the inside man” in the Disney hack which has seen 1 Tebibyte (around 1.1TB) of data lifted from its servers. The hack supposedly includes information on unreleased games, images, internal messaging, and pretty much everything.
There has already been information leaked elsewhere this morning about an unknown Aliens game rumored to be Fireteam Elite 2 from an internal Disney presentation. This is going to be a rough few weeks for them.
None more so than for the alleged inside man who was named in an intimidating warning to others not to cross the group. Readwrite is not publishing the name of the employee as we do not wish to add to the pile on, but our research confirms he has been at the company for almost nine years and lives in Los Angeles.
The message posted online by the hackers reads:
DISNEY INTERNAL SLACK 1.1TiB of data, almost 10,000 channels, every message and file possible, dumped. Unreleased projects, raw images and code, some logins, links to internal api/web pages, and more! Have fun sifting through it, there is a lot there. We tried to hold off until we got deeper in, but our inside man got cold feet and kicked us out! I thought we had something special [Name of employee was here] Consider the dropping of literally every bit of personal info you have, from logins to credit cards to SSN, as a warning for people in the future. MAGNET

>Disney has been hacked
>1TiB of data stolen (unreleased projects, logins, images codes..) pic.twitter.com/nGi5Fv6Qgj
— Pirat_Nation (@Pirat_Nation) July 13, 2024

Even with his “cold feet” it seems the hackers managed to breach the company’s Slack defenses and gain access to almost anything they wanted. Disney is yet to comment but from what we have seen online the hack seems to be genuine and as yet there has been no mention of a ransom, the data seems to have just been released through normal hacker channels.
As we wait to see what information follows the leak we can be sure Disney’s not exactly unsubstantial legal team will be gearing up as you read this.
The post Disney hackers hang “inside man” out to dry as they name him and say they will release all his personal information “as a warning” appeared first on ReadWrite.

Sportsbooks and daily fantasy operators are reportedly expecting increased betting activity for the Paris Summer Olympics, as noted by CNBC. This event marks the first Olympics since the U.S. expanded gambling legalization. It’s also only the second Summer Olympics following the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to allow nationwide legalized betting.
However, the previous Tokyo games were delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting gambling activities at the time. This year, operators expect a major surge in betting with the games’ return to their scheduled timeline.
“The Olympics and gambling, for decades, have looked at each other from afar. This year we’ll see them meld together,” Max Bichsel, North America Gambling.com Group executive vice president, told CNBC.
“If you want to look at this from an annual perspective for a company like DraftKings or FanDuel, it’s still going to have a relatively minor impact,” said Citizens JMP senior equity analyst Jordan Bender. “Obviously positive, but it’s not going to be as big as we might think and a lot of it is going to be largely dependent on viewership.”
Will Olympics betting be available everywhere?
Since the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, over a dozen U.S. states, including New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Florida to a limited extent, have legalized sports betting. Most Olympic events are legally bettable, with states varying in the specific events they include in their gaming catalogues. Popular Olympic sports like basketball and swimming are generally available for betting, as they are regularly bet on even outside of the Olympics.
However, not all Olympic events are available in every state. For example, Massachusetts prohibits betting on events judged subjectively, such as gymnastics, BMX, wrestling, break dancing, judo, diving, surfing, and equestrian events. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission discussed this restriction in 2023 but did not amend it.
U.S.A have the highest odds of winning according to one sportsbook. Credit: DraftKings
DraftKings has posted odds showing Team USA as the heavy -2500 favorite to secure the most medals at the Paris Olympics, with China trailing at +1000. The competition for the highest number of gold medals is closer, with Team USA at -750 and China at +350.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 26, concluding on August 11. Paris is six hours ahead of Eastern Time, and in the U.S., most events will be live-streamed on Peacock, wrapping up by 5 pm Eastern daily.
Featured image: Canva
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