Gaming News

Lies of P: Overture Wears its Bloodborne Inspiration Proudly on its Sleeve

In 2021, Round 8 and NEOWIZ announced Lies of P, a moody soulslike that answered the question that no one had thought to ask: What if Bloodborne was actually a Victorian reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio? When it launched in 2023, it surprised skeptics and over-delivered in both how great its dark fantasy setting was and how incredibly fun its aggressive combat was. Two years later, I got to spend some quality time with Overture, the ironically-named encore of an expansion to the hit action game. And even though I didn’t get to see much more than around an hour of the first stage and the new Boss Memories mode, it was apparent very quickly that the South Korean team is poised to overachieve yet again. Overture is a prequel to...

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Monster Train 2 Review

Monster Train 2 proves that there was no need to reinvent the wheels on the Boneshaker train in order to relight the fires of this outstanding deckbuilding roguelike. (Not that they ever really went out – I’ve played the 2020 original almost daily for years.) It’s very similar to the roots of Monster Train, with a three-tiered tower defense structure where you optimize your unit placement and spells against incoming waves of invaders and choose your path along the tracks, though this time that path is headed from a re-lit Hell up to the gates of a corrupted Heaven instead of down. The five completely new clans have given me an enormous amount of toys to combine and experiment with as I build up momentum toward the final boss battle on...

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Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced Edition Announced for PS5, With Added Features and PS5 Pro Support

Xbox console exclusive Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 will come to PlayStation 5 this summer in an Enhanced Edition with new features, Microsoft has announced. There's no firm launch date yet for the game on Sony's console, and developer Ninja Theory is yet to detail what this Enhanced Edition's new features will be. Still, in a video update posted to social media today — the anniversary of the game's original PC and Xbox launch — the developer said these extras would also arrive as a free update on other platforms. "The team have been working hard to optimise Hellblade 2 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro to give you the very best experience we can," Ninja Theory said. "We look forward to sharing more details with you soon."...

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Xbox Game Pass May 2025 Wave 2 Lineup Confirmed

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass May 2025 Wave 2 lineup, which is headlined by Metaphor ReFantazio, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, and To a T. The list was announced in a post on Xbox Wire. First up, today, May 21, is Monster Train 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass. Here’s the official blurb, as per Xbox Wire: Tomorrow, May 22 sees four games hits Game Pass: Creatures of Ava (Xbox Series X|S), now with Game Pass Standard; Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Xbox Series X|S), now with Game Pass Standard; S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (Xbox Series X|S), now with Game Pass Standard; and Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) via EA Play on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass. Moving on to May 27...

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Massively Outsold the Original Oblivion in the U.S. in its First Month

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Remastered launched in a not-so-surprising shadow drop at the tail end of the month, and in just one week managed to vastly outsell the original Oblivion's first 15 months on the market. This comes from Circana, which reports that Oblivion was not just the best-selling game in the U.S. for the month of April in dollar sales, and the third best-selling game of 2025 so far, it also sold more units in April than the original Oblivion managed in its first 15 months, and brought in more money than the original Oblivion did in its first 14 months. While that's admittedly not a huge shock given the massively larger install base Oblivion sold into now compared to 2006, it's still an incredible feat. The...

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Amid Backlash to $80 Borderlands 4 'If You’re a Real Fan' Comment, Randy Pitchford Points to Previous Statement: 'If You Want the Truth, Here It Is'

The backlash to Randy Pitchford’s controversial Borderlands 4 $80 comment has leveled up, with video game publishers jumping on the bandwagon to promote their games. Meanwhile, Pitchford himself has pointed to previous comments he made about Borderlands 4's price, declaring: "If you want the truth, here it is." One such publisher is Devolver Digital, which has a reputation for edgy marketing that often takes advantage of hot topics on social media. Devolver, which is behind the likes of Hotline Miami and Cult of the Lamb, has done just that with Pitchford here. If you’re late to the party, Pitchford sparked a backlash by responding to a fan who expressed concern about the prospect of paying $80 for Borderlands 4 by saying: “if you’re...

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Avowed Director Quits Obsidian After More Than a Decade for Job at Netflix-Owned Oxenfree Studio

Avowed director Carrie Patel has quit legendary RPG company Obsidian Entertainment, just months after its most recent game's launch. In an update to her LinkedIn page, Patel revealed she had begun a new job at Night School, the Netflix-owned developer behind the Oxenfree series of narrative adventures. "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Game Director at Night School: A Netflix Game Studio!" Patel wrote in a brief update. Patel's new role at Night School will again be as a game director, though what she's working on remains unannounced. Night School is most famous for its Oxenfree series of games, the most recent being 2023's Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals. The Netflix-owned studio launched Black Mirror spin-off...

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Doom: The Dark Ages 'The Biggest Launch in id's History' — but No Sales Figure Yet

Doom: The Dark Ages has seen 3 million players since coming out last week, but Bethesda has yet to announce a sales figure for the game. A social media post from Bethesda confirmed that Doom: The Dark Ages is the biggest launch in id Software’s history by player count, getting to 3 million seven times faster than 2020’s Doom Eternal. It’s worth digging into the details on these numbers. Doom: The Dark Ages released across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on May 15, 2025. Steam is the only platform that makes player numbers public, so let’s start there. On Steam, Doom: The Dark Ages hit a peak concurrent player count of 31,470, and has a 24-hour peak of 16,328 concurrent players. Doom: Eternal hit a peak concurrent player...

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Helldivers 2 Players Are Ready For Revenge After Illuminate Invasion Razes Mars

An invasion of Super Earth is underway in Helldivers 2's latest update, bringing the once-distant frontlines of conflict close to home. Amid the chaos of the invasion, Helldivers were informed that the Illuminate have razed the neighboring planet of Mars, and players are already eager for some payback over it. In-universe news reports detailed the specifics, declaring that Mars has been razed by the Illuminate. The Helldiver Training Sites on Mars were part of the destruction, and the facility operators who were running the training have perished in defense of the planet. Opening the Galaxy Map in Helldivers 2 right now shows a destroyed, but still present, mass of rock. Mars was, until a recent update, the training facility for...

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Fortnite Is Finally Back on the U.S. Apple App Store

Fortnite has made its long-awaited return to the U.S. Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad users. Developer Epic Games shared and celebrated the news with a post on X/Twitter, letting mobile gaming fans know that they can finally go back to playing its massively popular battle royale experience after five years of waiting. The new Fortnite iOS store page is back the same as it was the day it left in 2020, though its description now starts with a new message: “Fortnite is back!” At the time of this story’s publication, some U.S. Apple users may have trouble searching for Fortnite through the App Store itself, though Epic says this will change “soon.” In the meantime, you can click here to see its revived store page. For those in the...

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AU Deals: Banger Deals on Death Stranding 2, GT7, Final Fantasies, CoDs, Helldivers, and More!

There’s never been a better time to give your games library a spring clean and make room for some banger new titles. Whether you're chasing chill vibes, story-rich sagas, or gloriously chaotic co-op, my deals listicle offers a little something for everyone (and at low gil prices). Let’s dig into the standout gems across Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC. This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm celebrating the 15th birthday of my huckleberry, the rootin' tootin' Red Dead Redemption. To tell the tale true, I've got vivid memories of my launch ride being a bumpy one—where the low end of bugs were freezes and the spectacular high watermark belonged to Donkey Ladies (rideable NPCs spawned with human bodies and ass faces)...

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Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Review in Progress

Editor's note: This review in progress is based entirely on the Early Access version of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, and will be updated with final impressions after the playing the 1.0 version at launch. Game of Thrones is a series synonymous with epic battles, familial betrayal, and mythical creatures. It’s no wonder, then, that developer Netmarble used it as the backing for its latest mobile-friendly open-world RPG, plopping you right into the middle of the original HBO show with one major goal to achieve: Power. Yet, after 20 hours gallivanting through the Early Access version of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad’s northern factions, consolidating my wealth ahead of its full launch this week, I can’t help but feel worried about what lies...

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Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel Project Orion Has Night City and Another City That Feels Like 'Chicago Gone Wrong,' Mike Pondsmith Teases

CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, codenamed Project Orion, is a closely guarded secret, but that hasn’t stopped Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith from teasing some previously unknown details. Pondsmith, who worked closely with CD Projekt on the 30 million-selling Cyberpunk 2077 and was involved in promoting the game ahead of its 2020 launch, was asked about the scope of his involvement with Project Orion at the Digital Dragons 2025 conference. Responding, Pondsmith admitted he wasn’t as involved this time around, but he does review scripts and had been to CD Projekt to check out the ongoing work. “Last week I was wandering around talking to different departments, and seeing what they had, ‘Oh look, this is the new cyberware, what do...

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TinyBuild Announces Second Annual Showcase for Next Week

TinyBuild Connect is back this year to showcase a bunch of games that are on the way from tinyBuild, the publisher behind titles like Potion Craft, Graveyard Keeper, and Streets of Rogue. And once again, it’ll be a show focused on world premieres and exclusive new trailers with no talking heads or any other fluff. Just games. TinyBuild Connect Date, Time, and How to Watch The full event will be livestreamed on Tuesday, May 27 starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern / 12:00 p.m. Central / 10:00 a.m. Pacific. For our friends across the pond, that’s 7:00 p.m. CET. It’ll start promptly at those times and will jump right into the games. IGN.com (our homepage) IGN’s Facebook IGN’s Twitter IGN’s Twitch IGN’s TikTok IGN’s YouTube If you’re not...

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Helldivers 2 Players Have Had SEAF Buddies For Less Than 24 Hours, And They Already Love Them

A massive new battle has broken out in Helldivers 2. Today, developer Arrowhead Studios brought the fight to Super Earth, as the Illuminate are touching down on the Helldivers' home turf. Everyone is joining in the fight, from the player-led Helldivers to some fresh reinforcements in the SEAF. Short for Super Earth Armed Force, the SEAF soldiers are populating battles taking place on Super Earth, helping the Helldivers hold out against the oncoming Illuminate forces. These troops can be ordered around using several commands, and will assist the Helldivers in defending the home of Managed Democracy. In turn, Helldivers 2 players already love their new NPC helpers. As seen in the new trailer for the Heart of Democracy update, SEAF...

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Blades of Fire Review

I always look forward to it when a studio steps out of its comfort zone to create something unexpected. Blades of Fire, a 3D action-RPG from developer MercurySteam, best known for the stellar Metroid Dread and its action-packed take on Castlevania during the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 era, does just that. Combining its past successes to give you control of a blacksmith who crafts his own weapons of destruction seemed like a promising concept. Unfortunately, the superb crafting portions of this lengthy fantasy adventure are overshadowed by an uneven story and combat that lacks real depth. You play as Aran, a commoner who gains access to a legendary forging hammer that sets him on a quest to stop the queen who is leading the kingdom into...

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Atomfall 'Immediately Profitable' at Launch Despite Countless Players Coming From Game Pass, Developer Discussing Sequel Plans

Atomfall developer Rebellion has said that its hit British survival game became "immediately profitable" upon release, despite the fact that a chunk of its 2 million players came from Xbox Game Pass — and therefore did not buy the title outright for themselves. Rebellion has not revealed sales figures for Atomfall, which launched for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S back on March 27, 2025. Instead, the developer has simply discussed the fact that Atomfall has been its biggest ever launch in terms of player numbers — something that will have been aided by Game Pass subscribers simply checking the title out via Xbox and PC. Still, Atomfall has clearly not suffered as a result. Speaking to The Game Business, Rebellion said...

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Stellar Blade Developer Confirms Sequel Plans

Stellar Blade is getting a fully-fledged sequel, developer Shift Up has confirmed. The PlayStation-published action game launched to a positive response back in April 2024, with players saying its gameplay mixed elements of NieR: Automata and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Now, Korean company Shift Up has confirmed a Stellar Blade sequel is on the way, via a chart showing the company's future plans published as part of its latest financial results released today. As confirmed within a presentation slide detailing how Shift Up expects to expand its franchises going forward, a Stellar Blade sequel is listed as coming next among others that look set to be released before 2027. Before the sequel arrives, there's mention of a "platform...

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As Gamers Express Concern About Borderlands 4 Potentially Costing $80, Gearbox Chief Randy Pitchford Says: ‘If You’re a Real Fan, You’ll Find a Way to

Outspoken Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford has responded to a fan who expressed concern about the prospect of paying $80 for Borderlands 4, saying: “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.” The video game industry has made the jump to $80, first with Nintendo and Mario Kart World, then with Microsoft and its price hike announcement that will kick in this holiday season. Could Borderlands 4 follow suit? Publisher 2K Games and parent company Take-Two have so-far remained vague on whether they will go to $80, and Randy Pitchford has insisted the decision is out of his control. But, responding to one concerned fan on social media, Pitchford set the cat among the pigeons by saying that if you’re a “real fan, you’ll find a...

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Ahead of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Patch 8, Fans Believe Datamines Have Revealed Everything From the New Class to a New, Much-Wanted Melee Weap

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will soon see the release of Patch 8, which publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive have already said heralds the arrival of the hotly anticipated Horde mode. But what else might it include? Recent datamines of Space Marine 2 itself may hold clues. Warning! Potential spoilers for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 follow: Let’s start with perhaps the biggest question Space Marine 2 fans have right now: what is the new class? Datamines suggest it is the Techmarine. Why? Because in the files was mention of a perk called ‘shoulder gun bolter,’ which is a clear indication that Techmarines are finally in play. For the uninitiated, a Techmarine is a Space Marine engineer-type class...

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Amid Game Closures and a Declining Audience, Call of Duty Is in a Rough Spot — So What’s Next?

Call of Duty fans are still digesting the news that Activision is walking away from Warzone Mobile, the game that was meant to lead the battle royale into a new era. Over the weekend, Activision pulled Warzone Mobile from iOS and Android app stores, with the scope of the game being “streamlined" and an admission it had not met expectations. While servers will remain online for now, no new content or updates will be issued to the game, and players can no longer spend real money in it. "We're proud of the accomplishment in bringing Call of Duty: Warzone to mobile in an authentic way, [but] it unfortunately has not met our expectations with mobile-first players like it has with PC and console audiences,” Activision said. It’s a brutal...

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Helldivers 2 Heart of Democracy Update Finally Brings the Illuminate Invasion to the Streets of Super Earth

Helldivers 2 finally has Super Earth maps to fight on as part of the Heart of Democracy major update. As had leaked last week, the Heart of Democracy update — out now across PC and PlayStation 5 — sees the Illuminate invasion reach Super Earth. You can now select missions on our home planet in Mega Cities and fight back alongside SEAF soldiers. The city biomes include operations that work towards liberating the cities, which, developer Arrowhead said, have “a significant impact on planetary campaigns.” This is a part of Helldivers 2’s ongoing Galactic War, a community-driven meta narrative that Arrowhead orchestrates behind the scenes. Here’s the official blurb, per the PlayStation Blog: You can activate Planetary Defense Cannons...

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Half-Life Writer Marc Laidlaw Never Expected His 40-Year-Old Cyberpunk Story Would Be Turned Into a Love, Death and Robots Episode for Netflix

Marc Laidlaw wrote 400 Boys in 1981 aged 21, long before he ended up Valve’s lead writer and one of the chief creators of the Half-Life games. The short story was published in Omni magazine in 1983, before it was picked up for Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology and enjoyed a wider audience. On Marc’s website, at the bottom of the short story itself, he points out 400 Boys has probably been read by more people than anything else he’s written, except perhaps Dota 2 seasonal ad copy. Yes, the video game world knows Marc Laidlaw as the lead writer of the Half-Life series. But he’s done a lot more than video games. It’s funny how things work out. “The inspiration for it just came out of walking around,” Marc remembers. “I lived in...

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Deliver At All Costs Review

As far as package-shipping simulators go, Deliver At All Costs more closely resembles drunk driving than it does Death Stranding. There's no need for complicated weight management or careful navigation through its 1950s small-town USA setting; instead, this kooky courier quest loads your pickup truck with increasingly quirky cargo and sends you careening through road signs, fences, shopfronts, and countless pedestrians, with almost every dispatched delivery quickly devolving into a full-on destruction derby. It’s a riotously good time for a while, but it soon starts to sputter out and eventually breaks down well before it reaches the end of its 10-hour journey when its nonsensical sci-fi story fails to pay off and this world turns out...

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AU Deals: The Hottest Drops on Elden Ring Nightreign, Ghost of Yotei, AC Shadows, Mafia Old Country, and More!

Even though your pile of shame’s already teetering and your backlog is the size of a felled sequoia, who are you and I to resist yet another bargain? Today's gaming treasure trove spans mischievous birds, noir cyborgs, and wizarding wonders, all at prices that’ll have your wallet breathing a sigh of relief. Whether you’re deep in console country or loyal to your trusty PC, there’s a little something here to make your day but ruin your bandwidth. This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro news, I'm lighting a 15-candle cake for WarioWare D.I.Y., one of my favourite Nintendo DS time-wasters. Nintendo essentially handed players the keys to the microgame factory and somehow didn’t burn the place down. Armed with a stylus and too much free time, you...

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This Recently Retired LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Set Is Still Discounted at Amazon

Some of the best LEGO sets that have ever been created are now retired. While you can still find ways to buy them online, it is nearly impossible to find them below their original retail price. So if you find yourself face to face with a LEGO set that really sparks joy, it's best to pick it up before it's gone forever. That being said, there are some rare cases when you can still find a set for below MSRP even after it gets retired. One such case is this current discount on the Green Hill Zone LEGO set at Amazon. It isn't much of a discount, but we don't expect it will still be at this price for much longer now that its been over five months since it was retired. LEGO Sonic The Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone Sale The LEGO Ideas Green...

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Save 43% Off Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X

Amazon dropped one of the best games of 2024 to the lowest price I've seen. As part of the Amazon Memorial Day Sale, you can pick up a physical copy of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X for just $39.99. That's 43% off the $70 list price and beats the previous price low (during last year's Black Friday) by $10. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (PS5, Xbox) for $39.99 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 follows Demetrian Titus, a newly minted Primaris Space Marine super soldier, reinstated into service after a century of inprisonment following the events of the original Space Marine game. Chris Reed reviewed it and gave it a "Great" 8/10 score, mentioning that although "[Space Marine 2] may not break the...

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Voice Actor Union Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge Over Fortnite's AI Darth Vader

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Epic Games, after the company implemented an AI-voiced Darth Vader NPC in Fortnite last week. The complaint, which can be viewed here, alleges that over the last six months, Llama Productions (owned by Epic Games) has failed to bargain in good faith with SAG-AFTRA's video game actors and has made "unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment, without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain, by utilizing AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work" on Fortnite. Fortnite added the AI Darth Vader last week, as an...

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CD Projekt Kicks Off The Witcher 3 10th Anniversary With Celebratory Streams Ahead of Concert Tour

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, and developer CD Projekt is already giving fans a taste of the concerts, merch, and more it has in store. The third Witcher video game undeniably left an impression on gamers when it launched May 19, 2015, so the studio behind it is pulling out all the stops to make sure today’s milestone feels special. Included in its list of festivities are videos that fondly look back at The Witcher 3 as well as special events and unique merch. It all starts with the trailer, below, celebrating the series’ monster-hunting protagonist, Geralt, highlighting some of his most memorable moments as fans are treated to actor Doug Cockle’s gravelly delivery. It’s not quite a Witcher 4...

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Final Fantasy 11 Director Says Your Support Convinced Square Enix It 'Should Keep Running the Game'

Final Fantasy 11 producer and director Yoji Fujito has revealed that had it not been for a resurgence of players around the game's 20th anniversary in 2022, there was a "real possibility" support for the MMORPG would've come to an end. In an interview with Dengeki Online (thanks, Automaton), Fujito suggested that ahead of the 20th anniversary in May 2022, Square Enix had considered shifting the game into "maintenance mode" in or around 2024, effectively cancelling all ongoing development of the decades-old game. "There was a real possibility that 2024 would be the year updates would come to an end, with the game shifting into a so-called maintenance mode, where only system upkeep would be performed," Fujito said, suggesting the game...

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