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Star Wars Outlaws got a confirmed launch date and two special edition options on April 9, among them an eye-watering $129.99 “Ultimate Edition” that is drawing pushback from suspicious gamers.
Though not a record for special editions of AAA video games by any stretch, it is a bit stiff for one that has no physical premiums. The Ultimate Edition is a bundle of all-digital tchotchkes and VIP treatment, one of which is three days of early access, which means it must be pre-ordered, too.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, also developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, had a $129.99, digital-only Ultimate Edition when that launched in December. If this is becoming a trend, some are unhappy with it, and what it means.
“On the one hand, we don’t need the special edition. On the other hand, it’s still a pretty weak special edition for that price,” said Redditor GuyFromYarnham in r/saltierthankrayt, the subreddit for Star Wars fandom. 
“Massive being the lead on this game is keeping me hopeful, given their work on the Division,” added ShoArts. “It’s Ubisoft pulling stuff like this that’s making me wait til long after release.”
Others echoed the buy-later advice. “The secret ingredient to buying Ubisoft games is wait for the inevitable sale a month after it drops,” said Razgriz_101, in an r/gaming thread headlined, “Can we please not normalize 130$ dollars for deluxe edition of games.”
What’s in the Star Wars Outlaws Ultimate Edition?
Star Wars Outlaws’ Ultimate Edition includes the base game (of course); a Season Pass, which means post-release story expansions are on the table; three days of early access to the game (if pre-ordered); the “Sabacc Shark bundle” of skins, and the “Rogue Infiltrator bundle. There’s also a digital art book, which few gamers today seem to get excited about.
We haven’t seen images of what the skins are. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor had different skins, but in order to be narratively consistent, they were homages to fan favorite characters, rather than the characters themselves.
The Gold Edition at $109.99 lacks the art book and character skins. The $69.99 standard edition is just the game. Pre-order it, and get in three days early. The price difference between the Gold Edition and standard edition means the Season Pass will probably cost $40 if bought separately after launch.
For those who aren’t sure about the game, there’s another way in: subscribe to Ubisoft Plus, one of the pricier publisher-only subscription services at $17.99 per month. That gets gamers everything in the Star Wars Outlaws Ultimate Edition (although it’s a good bet the Season Pass content won’t make it into the game for some months). If it doesn’t float their boat, quit the subscription.
Featured image via Ubisoft
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VanEck CEO Jan van Eck has voiced his skepticism regarding the approval of spot Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in May.
During a recent interview with CNBC on April 9, the boss of the multi-billion dollar investment company stated that he believes his firm’s spot Ethereum ETF application will “probably be rejected.” VanEck and ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, were among the pioneers in filing for a spot in Ethereum ETF in the United States. Both companies are currently awaiting the SEC’s final decision, which is scheduled for May 23 and May 24, respectively.
Van Eck: Lack of Feedback from Regulators
Van Eck shed light on the regulatory process, explaining that regulators typically provide comments on ETF applications. However, in the case of Ethereum, there has been a notable absence of feedback. CoinShares CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti shared a similar pessimistic outlook, stating that he does not anticipate any approvals in the near future.
The SEC has been silent on the seven pending applications for spot Ethereum ETFs, contributing to the decreasing likelihood of an ETF approval in May. This “radio silence” between the regulator and prospective fund issuers has been noted by commentators, including Senior Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.
At the same time, the SEC has initiated a three-week comment period for three Ethereum spot ETF proposals submitted by Grayscale Investments, Fidelity, and Bitwise earlier this month. The announcement also follows the SEC discussing the Ethereum spot ETF proposed by asset manager Grayscale Investments with Coinbase back in March.
VanEck’s Ethereum ETF application is one of seven awaiting approval, alongside those from Grayscale, BlackRock, and Fidelity. Balchunas, who initially assigned a 70% chance of approval in May, has since revised his odds to 35%. He echoed van Eck’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for the SEC to provide comments and critical feedback.
ETF analyst James Seyffart also expressed concern over the SEC’s months-long inaction, questioning the reasons behind the lack of communication when the applications were anticipated.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs Experience Outflows
Meanwhile, spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs in the United States have experienced a shift in investor sentiment, with net outflows recorded since the start of the week following four consecutive days of inflows and a day seeing over $1 billion of inflows. Grayscale’s GBTC spot ETF was the primary contributor to this reversal, with single-day net outflows exceeding $303 million on Monday and an additional $154 million on Tuesday.
Despite the outflows from GBTC, other Bitcoin ETFs have seen net inflows during this period, with BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust and Bitwise Bitcoin ETF leading the charge. VanEck’s spot Bitcoin ETF, traded under the ticker HODL, currently ranks as the fifth largest among the ten recently launched funds, excluding Grayscale. Since its mid-January launch, HODL has attracted an inflow of $461.7 million, according to Farside Investors data.
Van Eck highlighted the success of Bitcoin ETFs, describing Bitcoin as a “maturing asset” and noting that there are still many investors who have yet to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency.
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Prince of Persia fans should “forget everything they know” about the beleaguered remake of 2003’s Sands of Time, according to a report that the game has been “remade from scratch.”
Tom Henderson reported these details in a post published April 9 by Insider Gaming. Henderson said he had been provided footage of the remake project on condition that he not make it public.
Still, after seeing proof of life in a troubled game first announced in 2021, the journalist said missing textures and assets suggests it’s a ways from release and is likely still in the early stage.
Ubisoft declined to comment on the story. Insider Gaming has more details.
Development on the Sands of Time remake has taken many twists and turns
The remake certainly isn’t a secret as it was first announced more than three years ago. But in May 2022, it became apparent that development would moving from Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai to Ubisoft Montreal. At the time, Ubisoft released an update on the game saying it had passed an ‘important milestone.’
While updates have been provided and the official website’s Prince of Persia page is branded with a ‘Coming Soon’ banner, there is no known release date at this time.
Featured Image: Via Ideogram
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The recent release of the second version whitepaper by BlockDAG has spotlighted its trajectory towards achieving $5 million in daily financial inflows, amidst the dynamic market activities of Shiba Inu and PUSHD. While Shiba Inu experiences a minor decline, its future looks promising with expectations of a value surge. Simultaneously, the PUSHD presale is revolutionizing the e-commerce sector by offering a decentralized platform for transactions. BlockDAG stands out through its innovative blend of blockchain technology and Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), aiming for fast transaction speeds and vast scalability.
To date, the platform has attracted more than $15.6 million, with its cryptocurrency value reaching $0.0045 in the latest presale round. The growing investor confidence in BlockDAG, reflected in the anticipation of its daily inflows reaching $5 million, is explored in this analysis, focusing on the investment prospects of these three digital currencies.

Shiba Inu Experiences a Price Decline
The past week has witnessed an 8% decrease in Shiba Inu’s price, placing it slightly behind its competition. However, financial analysts remain optimistic about its future, attributing their positivity to a symmetrical triangle pattern observed on the 6-hour trading chart. This pattern, characterized by reducing highs and rising lows, suggests a period of consolidation that could lead to an upward trend in value.
Should Shiba Inu continue to follow this pattern, its value could potentially double, aiming for a new price target of $0.000044. Furthermore, the SHIB ecosystem is alive with activity, as seen by the elimination of over 15.5 billion tokens, indicating a surge in participation.

PUSHD’s Preemptive Strike in E-Commerce
As the e-commerce industry is projected to surpass $6.5 trillion by 2024, PUSHD is set to capitalize on this growth. Operating as a decentralized entity on web3, PUSHD facilitates direct cryptocurrency transactions between merchants and customers, mirroring the functionalities of well-known e-commerce platforms.
PUSHD grants users complete autonomy, enabling vendors to auction their products or set fixed prices. The current presale phase, which is the sixth, has set the token price at $0.135, drawing considerable interest from investors and highlighting its potential for significant influence.

BlockDAG’s Escalation from $1M to $5M Daily Inflows
BlockDAG, having collected over $15.6 million by its 8th presale, exemplifies an innovative confluence of blockchain and DAG technologies. This synergy offers scalability and transactional speed, while maintaining the reliable security features of traditional blockchains. DAG’s architecture allows for near-instant transaction confirmations, eliminating the typical mining delays and facilitating real-time application use.
As a beacon of decentralized innovation, BlockDAG facilitates the creation of smart contracts and automated workflows. The unveiling of its Version 2 Whitepaper in Las Vegas has marked a significant milestone, showcasing BlockDAG’s technological advancements.

Experts anticipate BlockDAG’s daily financial inflows to rise from $1 million to $5 million, signaling a robust faith and interest from the investment community in this dual-technology approach. BlockDAG’s integration strategy positions it as a pioneer in the ongoing blockchain evolution, combining the rapid transaction capability of Direct Acyclic Graphs (DAG) with the security and efficiency of Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanisms.
Concluding Insights
The digital currency landscape offers numerous investment opportunities, from the promising future of Shiba Inu to PUSHD’s innovative approach to e-commerce. Among these, BlockDAG’s distinctive blend of blockchain and DAG technology stands out for its promise of enhanced efficiency and scalability. The significant increase in its cryptocurrency value, from $0.001 to $0.0045 by its 8th presale, highlights the platform’s strong presale performance and potential. With BlockDAG’s expected daily inflow reaching $5 million, its state-of-the-art technology is not only captivating investor interest but also cementing its position in the blockchain sector.

Join BlockDAG Presale Now:

Website: https://blockdag.network
Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network
Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial
Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu

The post BlockDAG’s Path To $5 Million Daily Influx: A Deep Dive Into Its Version 2 Whitepaper Amidst Shiba Inu And PUSHD Market Trends appeared first on ReadWrite.

Hidden code found inside the Marvel Rivals website suggests that NetEase’s hero shooter could be making its way to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
While the 6v6, multiplayer-only, third-person shooter has only been formally confirmed as a PC game, a social media user named ‘Dreamz Gaming’ says some hidden code shows logos for both consoles on the front page of the site.
The caption of the April 9 X posting reads: “Found some hidden code in #MarvelRivals website which enabled this. Till now only leakers confirmed it’ll be coming to consoles, well now it’s officially confirmed.”

Found some hidden code in #MarvelRivals website which enabled this. Till now only leakers confirmed it’ll be coming to consoles, well now it’s officially confirmed. pic.twitter.com/TRvaIE3pUH
— Dreamz Gaming  (@_DreamzGaming) April 9, 2024

But a day later, on April 10, Dreamz Gaming said “I just checked and Marvel deleted that part from the code. It doesn’t mean they’re not working on it.”
Even if the authenticity of this cannot be guaranteed, it does follow what other online leakers have previously said.
An X user called Miller Ross posted this at the end of March: “Marvel Rivals is coming to consoles. I was told this was going to be announced today, evidently it was not. But it’s been confirmed to me by multiple people. I am confident in this.”

Marvel Rivals is coming to consoles. I was told this was going to be announced today, evidently it was not. But it’s been confirmed to me by multiple people. I am confident in this.
— Miller Ross (@mmmmmmmmiller) March 27, 2024

Neither rumor have been confirmed by the team behind the upcoming hero shooter video game. Marvel Rivals is being developed and published by NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel Games.
What we know so far about Marvel Rivals
A series of leaks over the past few months have sent gamers and insiders to X to share their thoughts and spread rumors.
In terms of what has been confirmed, we know that a closed alpha test version is coming in May. The Marvel Rivals account has posted about this numerous times and shared the link for fans to sign up to take part.
A description on the website, gives more insight into what fans can expect.
This says “The merciless clash between tyrannical dictator Doctor Doom and his future counterpart from the year 2099 has forced countless universes to collide in the Timestream Entanglement, creating new worlds and crises unknown.
“Now, Super Heroes and Villains from across the multiverse must fight together and against one another as disparate groups each seek to best both Dooms before one achieves domination of these realities.
“Familiar faces become newfound foes while former enemies become the greatest of allies in Marvel Rivals!”
Featured Image: Marvel Rivals official website
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