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Disney has vowed to crack down on password sharing for its Disney+ streaming service as part of a drive to increase subscriber numbers and turn a profit for the business.
Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney conglomerate outlined how changes will take effect in June in some jurisdictions with a wider enforcement of login credentials to be applied by September.
Speaking to CNBC, Iger tipped his hat toward rival service Netflix after it brought in similar curbs on password sharing, resulting in a massive addition of 100,000 new accounts just two days after its crackdown was applied.
He stated, “Netflix is the gold standard in streaming. They’ve done a phenomenal job in a lot of different directions. I actually have very, very high regard for what they’ve accomplished. If we can only accomplish what they’ve accomplished, that would be great.”
The CEO made his comments the following day after Disney investors renewed their faith in him and his company director peers in a proxy battle with activist investors, including Nelson Peltz, who was unhappy with the results of the streaming service.
Iger acknowledged concerns while stressing the need for consolidation in the streaming industry, with Disney ready to act to “eventually” achieve double-digit margins.
In response, Peltz gave a follow-up interview to CNBC immediately after the Disney CEO, stating he would retreat to the sidelines as long as Iger and the board deliver on their words.
“If they do it, they won’t hear from me again,” Peltz said.
Previous comments from Disney to act on password sharing
Action on passwords has been expected for some time after remarks made on an earnings call with investors last year.
At the time, scope was given for Disney to achieve gains by following up on the pledge made by Iger, who intimated, “We certainly have established this as a real priority.”
“We actually think that there’s an opportunity here to help us grow our business,” he told the third-quarter earnings call.

Image credit: Marques Kaspbrak on Unsplash

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Epic Games Store is famous for its frequent giveaways, and this week’s offering is no slouch. Two full-sized games are available to claim permanently for free: Thief (2014) and The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition are both free on Epic this week. Don’t put it off though, you have to claim them before April 11.
As Epic Games Store continues to make updates and improvements it is becoming an increasingly realistic competitor to Steam. Now is a great chance to start building your library on the platform.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition – $59.99 retail

The Outer Worlds is an action-adventure RPG by Obsidian and by many people, it was considered the best alternative to a Bethesda-in-Space until Starfield came out. It features the sassy NPCs and quirky storylines that Obsidian is most famous for. There are a range of companions you can take along with you on your journey, each of whom has their own distinct personality and accompanying quests. The story follows you as a colonist lost in transit on a voyage to the Halcyon colony. Shoot, bribe, charm, or sneak your way through encounters and forge your own path to the center of the conspiracy. The Outer Worlds is colorful, bombastic, and just great fun.
The Spacer’s Choice Edition also includes both of the game’s story expansions. Peril on Gorgon sees the player exploring Gorgon, a former scientific research station turned lawless badlands. Take on a job about the mother of a wealthy recluse and uncover far more about the science project than you expected.
Murder on Eridanos is a grand, spacefaring murder mystery spectacular. A famous spokesperson is murdered just before the launch and it’s up to you to find out how and why. Take to the skies with the Discrepancy Amplifier, a high-tech clue-finding device, and discover the answers you need.
Thief – $19.99 retail (though currently on sale on Steam for $2.99)

Thief is the latest installment in the genre-defining immersive sim series of Thief games. While itself more of a stealth action-adventure game rather than an immersive sim, Thief cherry-picks some elements of its predecessors and focuses on them. Garrett, the master thief, remains the protagonist. It retains also the sense that everything is not quite what it seems, you’re not quite just a thief. The City remains the second main character, oozing with personality and pockets to be picked. Immerse yourself in the oncoming revolution and make a profit along the way.
Don’t forget to claim these two full games for free on Epic Games Store before April 11.
Featured image: Epic Games
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The team at FatShark continues to put a huge amount of effort into Warhammer 40k: Darktide and has turned around a game that, while fun at launch, was severely lacking content and prioritized an Item Shop over game essentials. This has long been rectified and the updates continue to pour in, the latest of which – the Path of Redemption, will see a big reworking of the Penance system as well as bringing a whole host of new rewards.
To read the dev blog in full you can check it out here, but we have a list of the major changes below in case time is short.
“The team spent a good amount of time designing new penances, more player-driven and less focused on the grind, making them more engaging. Penances will be divided into different categories: combat, mission, class, talent, and ability. We’ve also created penances tied to new puzzles, challenges, and collectibles that we have sprinkled throughout all missions for players to find.” says Bjorn, the team lead for the new update.
These are all changes that will be welcomed by Darktide players, who continue to return to the game in decent numbers as the updates arrive. Parts of Darktide remind us greatly of Helldivers 2 and it would be good to see more people in the lobbies of Fatshark’s game because it is a lot of fun and brings the Warhammer 40k universe to life in a way that not many other games have managed.
There is no date for the update as yet, other than late April, so at most, we should have about three weeks to wait if all goes to plan.
Warhammer 40k is getting a huge amount of love in gaming right now and we have recently seen a collab with Call of Duty.
What’s new in Warhammer Darktide?
The new Path of Redemption update due this month (as yet, no date confirmed by the devs) will be bringing with it the following changes:

A new free way to collect rewards: penance points will now count towards a progression track composed of 40+ tiers, allowing players to unlock earnable rewards.
A new home for penances in the Mourningstar: Hestia will be in charge of keeping a record of the rejects’ penances and will join the rest of the Mourningstar crew in voice-overs during missions.
200+ new penances: a slew of new penances will be added to the game for players to complete. These will be divided into new categories.
100+ new earnable rewards: these will include new insignias, portrait frames, emotes, poses, weapon trinkets, and cosmetics such as the loyalist Moebian 6th outfits.
New reward type – Titles: allowing players to brag about their most impressive achievements.
Improved penance UI and menu: allowing players to better track penances and progress toward rewards.
New puzzles, challenges, and collectibles: we are adding several puzzles across Tertium Hive for players to discover and solve.
New enemy: the Dreg Tox Bomber will join the ranks of the heretics, hurling Blight Grenades filled with toxic fumes.
New condition: Pox Gas will join the roster of conditions that can spread across Tertium. Recommendation: don’t breathe too deeply.
The Personality Scourge: players will have the option to change additional aspects of your operative (background, height, name, and voice) in exchange for ordo dockets.

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