Gaming News

Former Black Panther Developers Join Wizards of the Coast for New Game Project

A group of individuals who formerly worked at the now-shuttered Cliffhanger Games on its canceled Black Panther game have been picked up by Wizards of the Coast for a new project. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the group is led by Monolith Productions veteran Michael de Plater, who previously was director of design on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and VP, creative for Middle-earth: Shadow of War. "We were actually able to bring him and 14 key people that he's worked with there – and many of them at Monolith – to incubate a new game for us," said Wizards of the Coast president John Hight to GamesIndustry.biz. He added that the project is still in the very early stages, and is expected to go through a "lengthy concept process."...

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 director Hideaki Itsuno Intentionally Designed it 'Not Like a Nintendo One,' But For 'A Certain Type of Audience'

Dragon’s Dogma 2 director Hideaki Itsuno says he is "very proud" of the highly anticipated sequel even though the game may not have suited "a certain type of audience." Speaking to VGC, Itsuno intimated he intentionally designed the sequel to be the antithesis of "a Nintendo" game, saying: "It's normal if some people outside that target audience" didn't quite appreciate the game. "I made the game not like a Nintendo one to be liked by all the people, but for a certain type of audience, so it’s normal if some people outside that target audience don’t like the game," he said. "However, people who enjoyed the game really loved it, appreciated the details and work. I’m very proud of it." As for what's next now Itsuno has left Capcom...

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Whether Leon's in the Game or Not, Resident Evil Requiem Is More Than Just a 'Backwards Looking' Nostalgia Fest, Capcom Says — and It Wasn't Originall

Regardless of what's been said about the game to date, Resident Evil: Requiem's director and producer want you to know that the title — scheduled for release in 2026, the series' 30th anniversary year — has more going on than a simple focus on nostalgia. It's perhaps an odd thing to hear, as Capcom itself has highlighted how Resident Evil Requiem will return to the survival horror series' roots back in Raccoon City, after several games set elsewhere. And it'll be there, in the crumbling remnants of the series' past, that Capcom has also promised players will find answers to lingering story threads and open questions from decades ago. But despite all of this, and despite the huge ongoing speculation over Leon S. Kennedy's potential...

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The Big Resident Evil Requiem Interview: Why the Game's Monster Got Supersized, Why it's Probably Not Lisa Trevor, and a Tease for Areas Beyond Raccoo

Last week in Cologne, Capcom's nerve-jangling Resident Evil Requiem demo was one of the highlights of the Gamescom 2025 show floor. Offering an introduction to the game's hero Grace Ashcroft, as well as a suitably unsettling monster, the short taster of next year's title simultaeously felt fresh but also like classic Resident Evil — a perfect blend of old and new for the series' upcoming 30th anniversary. But, as we all know, there's something else about Resident Evil Requiem driving fan interest right now — and that's the ongoing question mark over the status of floppy-haired fan favorite Leon S. Kennedy. Rumors persist he is in the game as a second character, though, if indeed he is, Capcom once again held back from revealing the...

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Hellraiser: Revival is Resident Evil For Sickos

If you’ve ever been to gamescom, you’ll know the German city of Cologne isn’t adverse to lavish displays of excessive meat. Sizzling sausages the length of your arm curl around heaps of sauerkraut, and sweating hulks of pig known as pork knuckles sit alongside mountains of mashed potato. But it wasn’t until I sat down to play Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival that I truly saw the limits of just how meaty this year’s convention could get for me. I saw almost-dead humans being chopped up for cult-like rituals, people strung from ceilings with their backs opened up to form fleshy wings, and even at one point looked down to catch a look at my character’s fully-modelled, flopping appendage. Yes, despite all the gruesome violence on...

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The 10 Best Stealth Games

There are few pleasures in video games that can contend with a quick, clean, silent kill. And there’s no better place to find that than in a stealth game. The sneakiest of all the genres, stealth can be quite a surgical thing – an experience that rewards considered, methodical planning. But with that comes the risk of mistakes, and a slip-up in a stealth game can result in another, equally thrilling ride: one where quick thinking and unconventional solutions can help you slip back into the shadows. What we’re saying here is that stealth games are incredibly malleable and creative, often designed to give you unparalleled freedom within the space of their intricately-designed levels. But what are the very best stealth games? The coolest...

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Microsoft 'Investigating' Crashing And Missing Pre-Orders As Gears of War: Reloaded Slumps to 'Mixed' Rating on Steam

Microsoft has said it is "aware" of crashing issues with the newly released Gears of War: Reloaded on Steam and confirmed it is "investigating." Though a remaster of the original 2006 game, the shiny new version comes with improved visuals and audio, crossplay, and cross-progression, and all the DLC from the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Despite describing the port as "faithfully remastered and optimized for PC," however, the game is currently sitting on a 'Mixed' user review rating on Steam, with players "disappointed" with crashing, "low population in multiplayer," and missing pre-order bonuses. At the time of this article's publication, 50% of the 633 Steam user reviews were positive. Gears of War: Reloaded launched on Valve's...

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No Man’s Sky Voyagers Update Adds Corvette Ship Class, Multiplayer Crew, and Tech That Will Be Shared With Hello Games’ Light No Fire

No Man’s Sky is expanding once again, this time with the free Voyagers update. Interestingly, developer Hello Games said the tech introduced with this update will be shared with its next game, Light No Fire. Voyagers adds a long list of features, which chief developer Sean Murray said Hello Games had worked on for some time now. Chief among them is the Corvette Ship Class and the possibility for a multiplayer crew. But there’s much more to Voyagers, revealed in the list below: Corvette Ship Class Assemble Ships Multiplayer Crew Mission Radar Autopilot in Space Space walking New missions StarShip Interiors New Spacesuit Sky diving Graphical Improvements Varied Cockpits New Expedition Voyagers arrives just over nine years after No...

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Nintendo Switch 2 Has Sold 2 Million Units in the U.S., 75% Ahead of the Switch 1's Pace

The Nintendo Switch 2's second month on the market was another explosive one, at least in the U.S., where it surpassed 2 million units sold life-to-date, putting it 75% ahead of the unit sales pace set by the Nintendo Switch 1. This is according to monthly data from Circana, whose analysis was shared with IGN by Mat Piscatella. Nintendo Switch 2 sales in July were so strong that July hardware spending reached $384 million, the highest July hardware spend since July 2008. The Switch 2 was the best-selling console for the month of July, and unshockingly is the best-selling console in the U.S. year-to date in terms of both unit and dollar sales, surpassing the PlayStation 5. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is now the best-selling...

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The Outer Worlds 2’s First Hour Has Layers and Layers of Role-Playing Opportunities

It often takes a sequel to unlock an idea’s full potential. Just look at Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, or Batman: Arkham City – games which erased the imperfections of their predecessors and elevated rough diamonds to all-time-classic status. Based on a new demo I played at gamescom 2025, I’m betting The Outer Worlds 2 is about to join that club. Obsidian’s first trip across its satirical galaxy back in 2019 had plenty going for it, but often felt constricted in scope or fell flat in its delivery. Those are flaws that a second attempt (plus a nice chunk of change from Microsoft’s wallet) could rectify, and it seems that’s exactly what has happened, if The Outer Worlds 2’s hour-long prologue is anything to go by. Its gleaming...

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After Raising Over $1 Billion From Players, Star Citizen Dev Chris Roberts Hopes Squadron 42's 2026 Launch Will Be 'Almost as Big an Event' as GTA 6

Chris Roberts, the chief developer of Star Citizen, has made a bold claim about next year’s single-player spinoff, Squadron 42, comparing it to the launch of behemoth Grand Theft Auto 6. Cloud Imperium Games’ space sim is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the near 13 years since its crowdfunding drive began, Star Citizen has been called many things including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost hundreds of dollars, are often the focus of criticism. Indeed, Star Citizen has now raised an eye-watering $859 million, according to figures from CIG. The developer makes revenue publicly available on its website. CIG calls this...

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Atari Snaps Up 5 Dormant Ubisoft Franchises, Says It Will Re-Release Them On New Platforms

Atari has acquired five chiefly dormant franchises from developer/publisher Ubisoft: Child of Eden, Cold Fear, Grow Home, Grow Up, and I Am Alive. Atari said it will "reintroduce iconic creations, bringing them to new platforms and renewed publishing frameworks." They'll all be re-released under Atari's own publishing label and be available "on new platforms." "Millions of players have experienced these worlds over the years, and this will open the door for long-time players to revisit those memories while inviting new audiences to discover them for the first time," said Deborah Papiernik, Ubisoft's VP of new business. "Atari has a rich gaming legacy and deep appreciation for these classic titles, we’re excited to see how they’ll...

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Yes, Another Clair Obscur Game Is Coming — 'Expedition 33 is One of the Stories That We Want to Tell in This Franchise,' Teases Director

Good news, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fans! Clair Obscur is not just the shortened name for developer Sandfall Interactive's blockbuster RPG — it's also the name for an entire franchise. "Clair Obscur is the franchise name. Expedition 33 is one of the stories that we want to tell in this franchise," director Guillaume Broche told MrMattyPlays (thanks TheGamer). "Exactly what it will look like and what the concept will be is still too soon to announce, but what is sure is that this is not the end of the Clair Obscur franchise." And if that wasn't quite obvious enough for you, he also specifically talked about his process for when he "writes sequels," too, leaving us with little doubt that a follow-up game is on the way. Watch this...

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With the Inquisition Watching, Tight-Lipped Saber Chief Won't Say Much About Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3, but He Has Revealed Games Workshop Is O

During my 30 minute interview with Saber Interactive development chief Tim Willits at gamescom 2025, he wouldn’t say much at all about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3, despite my repeated efforts. I’m not surprised, really. With Games Workshop and publisher Focus Entertainment watching his every word like the Inquisition on the hunt for heresy, Willits must be careful to keep his cards close to his chest or else risk being declared a heretic. But I was able to get something out of him on the hotly anticipated sequel, namely that Games Workshop is throwing all sorts of ideas at Saber right now, and some of them are apparently "amazing." I began my foray into Space Marine 3 territory by asking Willits why the game was announced...

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Amid Backlash to Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Locking Clans Behind DLC, Paradox Says It's 'Making Adjustments Ahead of Launch'

The backlash to Paradox’s decision to lock two clans behind DLC for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 appears to have prompted a rethink. The furore began with the confirmation that Bloodlines 2 would feature four clans: Brujah; Tremere; Banu Haqim; and Ventrue. While this selection provides four different starting options for how you build your protagonist, it’s a more limited offering compared to the cult classic original Bloodlines, which featured seven clans. Developer The Chinese Room has added a further two clans to Bloodlines 2 (Lasombra and Toreador), but these are currently only available as part of the Shadows and Silk add-on pack, which costs $21.99 as DLC, or included as part of the $89.99 Premium Edition. The...

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Amid Battlefield 6's Commitment to 'Gritty Realism,' Activision Makes Shock Call of Duty Change for Black Ops 7: 'We Hear the Feedback'

It sounds like all change for Call of Duty with the release of Black Ops 7, amid pressure from Battlefield 6 and its commitment to “gritty realism.” Call of Duty’s foray into goofy skins territory is not a new phenomena, although recent releases have certainly amped up the conversation around them. With the likes of Beavis and Butt-Head and American Dad hitting the game this year shortly after weed-obsessed bundles starring Seth Rogen, some fans have said they’ve had enough of what they call the 'Fortnite-ification' of their beloved Call of Duty, and have pleaded with publisher Activision to return to its mil-sim roots. Enter Battlefield 6, a game EA is pitching as having a “gritty realism” aesthetic. Developer DICE has indicated it...

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AU Deals: Colossal Discounts on Current and Classic Games Worth Their Weight in Rupees

There’s no shortage of deals tempting my wallet this week, and I’m leaning into the ones that feel like old mates I can’t quite leave behind. When these discounts line up, I can’t help but relive memories of blasting through title screens, falling into new worlds, and getting crotch kicked from a running start by some boss who had no business being that hard. That being said, let’s all dive into the deals, of which there are many. Contents Retro Nintendo Xbox PlayStation PC LEGO This Day in Gaming 🎂 In retro tidings, today marks 16 years since Punch-Out!! landed a haymaker on Wii. I still recall importing the EU copy (because Australia’s release lagged behind) just so I could pen the first local player’s guide. Looking back, Little...

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Skate Finally Names an Early Access Release Date, and You Can Play For Free in Under a Month

EA's long-awaited Skate reboot finally has an early access release date, and the good news is you'll be able to play it for free in less than a month. Skate's early access launch begins on September 16 via PC (EA App, Epic Games Store, Steam), PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. As previously announced, you will need an internet connection to play the game, as well as an EA account to log in. Skate developer Full Circle previously explained the need for an online connection as something required for its vision of a "living, breathing, massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving." "You’ll see bigger things evolve, like changes to the city over time," the developer continued, "as...

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Gears of War: Reloaded Review Update

The original 2006 Gears of War is the classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover;" this seemingly meatheaded, bro-forward game has cemented itself as not only one of the best third-person cover shooter series with its iconic gameplay and weapons, but also one that shrugs at its stereotypes to both embrace them (when was the last time you heard someone called a dickwad?) and defy them with great storytelling and fantastic voice acting. Ten years after its first makeover, it's gotten another with Gears of War: Reloaded. Unlike some games that get a premature remaster treatment a few years after their release, this one looks and feels like a noticeable improvement. As we’ve come to expect from Xbox Game Studios developer The...

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Panta Rhei Mini-Review: Control Time To Save Time

A good roguelike has to do something unique to stand out these days, and thankfully, Panta Rhei delivers by letting you control time. At first, it plays like a familiar action roguelike, with upgrades to core abilities and modifiers that add buffs or debuffs. Well – technically – it begins with a gorgeous cutscene that sets the stage for why you’re alone in the world. In Panta Rhei, you play as Phi, a young guardian of time who’s found themself stranded in the Garden of Past after what’s essentially the end of the world. Though content to spend their days gardening, neglecting their true duty has thrown time into chaos, forcing Phi to venture out and try to save it. That means taking on enemies and solving puzzles. While things...

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Roblox Hits Fresh Player Record, Towering Over Steam and Fortnite, Amid 'War' Between its Two Most Popular Games, Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot

Roblox player numbers have hit a fresh high, amid a weekend event that saw the platform's two biggest games go to "war" to see which could attract the most players. According to public player data tracked by Fortnite.gg, Roblox hit an eye-watering high of 47 million players last Saturday, August 23, as the evergreen Grow a Garden and new rival Steal a Brainrot staged an "admin war" among their creators, designed to draw in as many players as possible to each game. The stunt marked a fresh player peak for Roblox, after a summer of all-time high engagement, during which the platform has seen regular weekend peaks of around 30 million players. By comparison, the entirety of Steam as a platform drew a peak of 37.9 million online...

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Ninja Gaiden 4 Developers Assure Newcomers That the Tools Are Available to Train Themselves to Get Better at the Game

You’ve heard what we think of Ninja Gaiden 4 — from an expert point of view. But what if you’ve never played a Ninja Gaiden game before? Will this latest entry in the notoriously difficult action series offer newcomers something they can get to grips with? Will the story make sense if you don’t know your Ryu Hayabusas from your Yakumos? That was my angle of attack going into my gamescom 2025 session with Team Ninja's Masakazu Hirayama and PlatinumGames' Yuji Nakao, co-directors on this eye-catching new co-production from Xbox Game Studios. As Nakao expertly dispatched a boss on a big screen overlooking our behind closed doors presentation, I couldn’t help but marvel at the slick, fast-paced ninja action I was seeing. But I also felt...

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Star Trek Infection Looks Like a Deep Space Nine Survival Horror VR Spin-Off Where You Play as a Vulcan With Mutant Powers

There's a brand new Star Trek video game for VR headsets in the works, which describes itself as the franchise's "first narrative survival" experience. A debut trailer for Star Trek Infection reveals the game as being developed by Polish studio Broken Mirror Games. The project will be published in collaboration with Bloober Team, the company behind The Medium and Silent Hill 2. Star Trek fans will immediately recognise various elements within the trailer from the franchise's Deep Space 9 era, with mentions of the Alpha Quadrant, a ship that looks identical to the Defiant, and some familiar-looking uniforms. Beyond that, there's no sign here of any familiar Star Trek characters. But perhaps Quark will pop up at some point. Our first...

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Hideo Kojima 'Already Wrote the Concept' for Death Stranding 3, But Isn't Making It Right Now

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the sequel to Hideo Kojima's 2019 hit Death Stranding, was well-received at launch. It's "incredibly exciting and original," and "bold work that deserves to be encouraged," at least, according to our review. As a result, fans might be hoping for an eventual third game in the series. But for right now, Kojima isn't planning to make Death Stranding 3...even though he already has a concept written. Kojima said this in an interview in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, as a part of the Death Stranding 2 World Strand Tour. When asked by the interviewer about Death Stranding 3, he replied with the following: "I'm not planning to do that at the moment, because the ending of Death Stranding 2 was my finale of 1 and 2...

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PlayStation Boss Says Company Now Does 'Much More Rigorous and More Frequent Testing' After Concord's Failure

After a high-profile failure in Concord and a high-profile success in Astro Bot last year, PlayStation is looking to adjust its strategy to incorporate fewer live service games, more big franchises, and stricter oversight of its owned studios. In an interview with Financial Times, PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst says the company is hoping to mitigate future big, expensive risks with future games. “I don’t want teams to always play it safe, but I would like for us, when we fail, to fail early and cheaply.” Concord was not a cheap failure. Analysts estimate Sony spent around $250m on the game, only for it to sell so poorly that Sony shut it down two weeks after launch, and shuttered its developer, Firewalk Studios, not long after. By...

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The Best Power Bank Deal for Nintendo Switch: This $11 Power Bank Will Double Your Play Time

If you're looking for an affordable power bank that will fast charge your brand new Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, or Apple iPhone 16, then you should absolutely be checking out this deal. Amazon is currently offering the Iniu 10,000mAh Power Bank with up to 45W of Power Delivery and a USB Type-C cable lanyard for just $11.21 after you clip the 49% off coupon on the product page (or alternatively apply coupon code "QHYXO6F5"). Iniu power banks have plenty of positive reviews on Amazon and are less expensive than Anker models. Iniu 10,000mAh 45W Power Bank for $11.21 This Iniu power bank holds a 10,000mAh, or 37Whr battery capacity. If you factor in 80% power efficiency, here are the approximate number of times you can fully recharge...

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John Carpenter's Toxic Commando Puts an '80s Horror Spin on Left 4 Dead

Considering it was revealed to the world with a trailer that featured four zombie-blasting soldiers singing along to Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”, I expected John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando to be much funnier than it is. Inspired in equal measure by the supernatural horror and buddy action movies of the 1980s, it is big and dumb and goofy… yet never as batshit bananas as you’d expect for a game that’s quite literally about fighting an entity called the Sludge God. But while it may not be that funny, it is fun. You may have already forgotten about that 2023 reveal trailer, but after playing three hours of its co-op missions, I don’t think Toxic Commando is going to fade into the background thanks to its surprisingly solid Left 4...

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Fortnite Festival Season 10 Will Feature Gorillaz, Starting Tomorrow

The tenth season of Fortnite Festival kicks off tomorrow, and this time around, the band Gorillaz is headlining the event. As officially announced by Epic Games, Season 10 starts on August 26 and will bring Noodle 2D, Russel Hobbs, and Murdoc Niccals to Fortnite Festival, following up past celebrity acts including Bruno Mars last season, Sabrina Carpenter, Hatsune Miku, Snoop Dog, and more. Of course, a new band also means a new main stage, this time set up perfectly for Gorillaz: surrounded by a skyscraper-filled city, graffiti walls, a city train wooshing overhead, and a bit of a skate park vibe going on. In addition to songs by Gorillaz, a Noodle & 2D bundle will arrive in the Fortnite Shop containing both musician's outfits...

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Amazon's Exclusive Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Mirror Edition Is Up for Preorder

Here’s some good news for RPG fans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the surprise blockbuster from earlier this year, is getting a new physical edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X. It’s called the Mirror Edition, and it comes with some new physical goodies. It’s only available at Amazon (see it here), with a price tag of $59.99 and a release date that’s yet to be announced. Read on for a rundown of everything you get with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Mirror Edition. Preorder Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Mirror Edition This is the only version of the new Mirror Edition. Alternatively, you can buy a physical version of the standard edition (see it at Amazon). That edition is available now and has an MSRP of $49.99. Clair Obscur: Expedition...

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Essential Hollow Knight Guides

Hollow Knight is filled with dangers around every corner, and without knowing exactly where to go and what to do, you can easily be left scratching your head in frustration. IGN's Game Help team has put together a Hollow Knight wiki, including a walkthrough, boss guides, collectible locations, and more, so you're one step ahead on your adventure through the Hallownest. Don't forget to use our Hollow Knight interactive map to track locations, collectibles, equipment, enemies, and more! Essential Hollow Knight Guides Whether you're playing Hollow Knight for the first time or looking to brush up on your Metroidvania skills before Hollow Knight: Silksong releases on September 4, 2025, we have plenty of guides to assist you as you...

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