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Positive

Orianna, from The Witcher 3 launch trailer
Gaming Gear

Why was The Witcher 3 so dark? ‘It’s dishonest to always show and paint the world in a positive light’

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As part of The Witcher 3’s 10th anniversary celebration, CD Projekt Red spoke to GamesRadar about the “secret sauce” that made its quests so special. Maturity was cited as the main ingredient by Paweł Sasko, a quest designer on The Witcher 3, because the majority of its developers were entering their 30s and 40s. Also, importantly, they were Polish.

“I would say we, as Polish people, are much more negative than western societies,” Sasko said. “We have a tendency to see glass half empty rather than half full. Part of creating mature entertainment is just realizing that not everything in life is going to go great. In all of our lives, horrible shit is going to happen.”

And there sure is a lot of horrible shit in The Witcher 3. Fetus zombie? Fingernail torture? Baby in an oven? The Witcher 3’s got it all. Sasko compared these elements of awfulness in CDPR’s RPG to the moment you come to terms with the fact your parents are one day going to die. “I’m a development psychologist,” he explained, “so I think about those things a lot. For me this moment of transition, of understanding that your parents are aging and they’re going to get sick and die, is a part of our human experience. It’s dishonest to always show and paint the world in a positive light.”


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“You cannot prevent your parents dying,” he went on. “You cannot prevent the fact that maybe the pet you spent 15 years of your life with has cancer. You cannot completely prevent this. [But it’s about] being thankful for everything you experienced. Even in this fucking dystopian horrible world of Cyberpunk, or this dark noir Witcher world, there are good people. There are good moments. There are friendships. There’s love! I think that’s the ambition: to encourage people toward this, and it might be a bit dark when I’m speaking about it, but I want to make sure that ray of sunlight is visible in our work.”

Like the scene in Seven where Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Gwyneth Paltrow just have a lovely dinner together, these shining moments of contrast are cast in stark relief because they’re surrounded by, in Sasko’s own words, “horrible shit”.



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All Positive And Negative Libra Deals
Game Reviews

All Positive And Negative Libra Deals

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Screenshot: FromSoftware / George Yang / Kotaku

In Elden Ring Nightreign, right before you fight the Nightlord Libra, Creature of Night, it’ll try to bargain with you, offering up a powerful boon to increase your abilities for a price.

The Most Sought After Elden Ring Sword Has A Storied History

First appearing as the Scale-Bearing Merchant, it will stand in the middle of the field and ask if you want to accept a deal. Attacking it immediately begins the boss battle and transformation into Libra. Refusing a deal also triggers the boss battle, but choosing to leave the conversation doesn’t.

The Scale-Bearing Merchant typically provides three options, and they seem to cycle in and out between expeditions. Here are the ones we’ve found so far, as well as both their positive and negative effects.

All Libra, Creature of Night Deals

Add an extra flask to your maximum amount.

Decreases your maximum HP

I wish for eventual greatness

Grants Ascetic Greatness, which Increases max HP, FP, and Stamina.

Halves max HP, FP, and Stamina through Ascetic Path for a limited time, until Ascetic Greatness activates.

When HP is at a critically low level, it fully restores it.

I want to hold death at bay

This does not protect against deathblows and you lose one level upon restoration.

I want to fight at utmost strength

Temporarily increases player’s attack, madness resistance, and max HP.

Libra gets a damage resistance buff.

– I wish to expand my intellect
– have great strength
– have great dexterity
– have deep faith
touch with arcane

Changes stats based on what was chosen, like a class swap. For example, a magic-focused Recluse can choose “have great strength” and gain the strength of a Raider. The Recluse’s intelligence stat is also now similar to that of a Raider’s.

The change is seemingly irreversible for the rest of the expedition.

Grants an accessory that provides extra runes dropped by defeated enemies. This is automatically equipped upon retrieval but can be unequipped to remove both its positive and negative effects.

HP constantly drains slowly.

I want resistance to ailments

Grant ezra resistances to ailments.

I want the power of a demon

An eye periodically appears above the player which can shoot projectiles at enemies.

Madness builds up within the player whenever the eye does appear

I desire a powerful weapon

Grants a powerful weapon.

I want to gain many levels

Grants the player three additional levels.

Every time a flask is used, one level is lost.

Out in the wild

Sometimes, you’ll encounter the Scale-Bearing Merchant during your expeditions and it will curse you with a spell that caps your maximum HP. This is an incredibly detrimental effect that needs to be removed ASAP and in order to do so, you must pay a Rune fine upwards to 35,000 (or attack and try to kill it, which it will then turn into a less powerful but still tough version of Libra, Creature of Night).

Screenshot: FromSoftware / George Yang / Kotaku

If you decide to pay it off, it’ll also let you bargain for one of its boons. This version also has its own set of boons, which are worded a bit differently but have similar effects:

  • Take resistance to status ailments
  • Take enhanced armament
  • Take sacred flask
  • Take runes

Elden Ring Nightreign is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PCs.



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Decrypt logo
NFT Gaming

Why Circle’s ‘Super Positive’ IPO Could be Bullish for Ethereum: Analysts

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In brief

  • USDC’s concentration on Ethereum is bullish for the network’s native asset, analysts said.
  • More than half of USDC’s circulating supply exists on Ethereum, while layer-2 networks and other scaling solutions support major amounts as well.
  • Etheruem’s name will inevitably arise as investors research Circle’s business model post-IPO, one analyst said.

Circle’s $1.1 billion IPO on Thursday reflected Wall Street’s growing interest in stablecoins, but it may also strengthen institutions’ conviction toward Ethereum, analysts told Decrypt.

Although Circle issues its USDC stablecoin across more than 40 different networks, more than half of the stablecoin’s circulating supply exists on Ethereum, totaling $36.7 billion, according to crypto data provider DefiLlama.

According to Bitwise Senior Investment Strategist Juan Leon, USDC’s concentration on Ethereum is primarily based around the network’s prominence in decentralized finance, or DeFi. As a result, he told Decrypt that Ethereum should benefit more than other networks if USDC’s footprint grows, as Circle rides a new wave of momentum.

“Overall, it’s a super positive development for Ethereum and Coinbase,” he said, referring to the San Francisco-based exchange that has a revenue-sharing agreement for USDC with Circle.

“As USDC usage proliferates, that will continue to translate into more liquidity for DeFi and excitement for developers to build on Ethereum,” he added.

On Thursday, Circle shares soared 165% to $83.22 from an IPO price of $31, according to Yahoo Finance. On Friday, the company’s stock price continued climbing, hitting $114.50, as of noon Eastern Time, a 38% jump from Friday’s closing price. 



Circle derives income from assets backing USDC like U.S. Treasuries. Ethereum was recently trading hands around $2,500, a 3% dip over the past 24 hours, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko.

When it comes to Ethereum’s competitors, $8 billion worth of USDC has been issued on Solana, representing around 13% of stablecoin’s circulating supply. Other Layer-1 networks, including Avalanche, Sui, and Aptos, each hold less than 2% of USDC’s circulating supply.

In addition to Ethereum’s mainnet, Circle has issued around $10 billion worth of USDC across Ethereum scaling solutions like Polygon and layer-2 networks like Arbitrum and Base, as well as Hyperliquid, the Arbitrum-based network underpinning the decentralized exchange.

Circle’s IPO is likely to generate interest in the company’s business model, and as investors start evaluating how stablecoins work, Ethereum name is likely to come up as technology powering emergent tech, Gerry O’Shea, head of global market insights at asset manager Hashdex told Decrypt.

“I think this could potentially help generate more attention around Ethereum and other smart contract platforms as investors look to understand the infrastructure that powers stablecoins,” he said. “IPOs bring a lot of attention.”

Spot Ethereum ETFs, which debuted in the U.S. last year, have emerged as a gauge for institutional interest in the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. 

Although the products have generated net inflows over the past eight trading days, Thursday’s inflows were relatively subdued at $11 million, compared to a recent peak of $110 million on Tuesday, according to crypto data provider CoinGlass.

Edited by James Rubin

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A week before launch, two MindsEye studio executives have left the company, which I'm sure is a positive sign
Game Updates

A week before launch, two MindsEye studio executives have left the company, which I’m sure is a positive sign

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Last week, I questioned whether MindsEye was a real game or not. This week, that question lingers. Why, you ask? Well, as spotted by our good friends over at Eurogamer, two executives at the studio behind the game, Build a Rocket Boy, have now departed the company. Let me just check when MindsEye is coming out… oh, that’s right, literally one week from today. Surely this is only good news!


In a LinkedIn post from yesterday, now former chief legal officer Riley Graebner shared news of his departure after three and a half years at the company, saying he was “proud” of what the team has accomplished in that time. Former chief financial officer Paul Bland doesn’t seem to have made an announcement of his exit per se, but the experience section of his own LinkedIn account lists his time at Build a Rocket Boy as ending in June (typically roles listed on LinkedIn will say “present” if a person is still at the company).


Now, I don’t know about you, but two executives leaving a studio, no matter their position, doesn’t scream “incoming success story.” There could be any myriad of reasons as to why they’ve left of course, this is just speculation, the timing is just a bit odd so close to release for such high level positions.


Thus far hardly any actual gameplay of MindsEye has been shown off, though publisher IO Interactive did announce a showcase for this Friday, June 6th, where more of it will be shown off. Will it be overshadowed by IO’s own James Bond game that’s also getting a proper look-in, now revealed to be called 007 First Light? Almost certainly, but at least there might be more than five minutes of gameplay this time around.



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Nacon enters the direct drive sim racing game - and hands-on impressions are positive
Game Reviews

Nacon enters the direct drive sim racing game – and hands-on impressions are positive

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Nacon, new custodians of the WRC series, has gotten into the sim racing game with a new direct drive racing wheel and accessories under RevoSim branding it announced last year.

The wheel base, rim, load cell brake and accelerator form the RS Pure bundle, which looks to compete with the likes of the Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro, Moza R9 V3 and Thrustmaster T598 at a upper-mid price point of £699. We went hands-on with the bundle at a recent press event in Paris and found it had some merit, though the direct drive (DD) space has become increasingly competitive over the years with the likes of Logitech and Turtle Beach joining the fray over the last couple of years.

As well as the obligatory starter bundle of wheel rim, wheel base and pedals, there are a number of accessories, including a hybrid shifter that supports both sequential and h-pattern options, a clutch pedal add-on and a load cell handbrake for navigating tighter turns.

The wheel base itself has 9Nm of torque, which is a touch more than the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race’s 7.2Nm, although slightly behind the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel’s 11nm of force. In addition, the rim itself is on a quick release, so it can easily be swapped out with the other options in the range – though third-party rims aren’t supported as is sometimes the case.

Here is a closer look at the pedal set.

The pedal set is in steel and brushed aluminium for a solid construction, coming equipped with a 100kg load cell sensor for precise input. You can also choose how heavy, or light, you wish the brake to be with colour-coded elastomers supplied with the kit.

I tested out the RS in a few different configurations at the Paris event, starting with a desk setup and a round rally-style rim in WRC Generations. That outing revealed some small issues with the pedals’ ability to grip onto carpet, as I found they had a tendency to slide under harsh braking as I clung onto dear life at the mercy of a Group B Peugeot 205 T16.

The force feedback was strong and informative, picking out the nuances of a rally stage with its hidden dips and crests, while pedal inputs were strong, although there was perhaps a little too much weight to the force feedback for my liking. I felt unable to flick the car into corners on a Monte Carlo rally stage as I wished to, although if the feedback wasn’t necessarily set to be so high, this would have come easier. For the most part, though, I enjoyed my time with it, and the unit felt responsive with accurate feedback and a pleasant feel in-hand.

I also used the bundle in a sim-racing cockpit, this time in F1 24 taking a few laps around spa. The heavier load cell brake pedal typical of F1 racing took some getting used to, requiring a lot more force to push the brake down all the way than I anticipated. However, I can certainly see the appeal of having such a heavy feel, so you can dial in advanced techniques such as trail braking. My lap times around Spa weren’t necessarily the best on the day, but I could still feel the edges of kerbs and the car’s movement to a good degree. There isn’t a more Formula-style rim available just yet, but I hope that Nacon plans to add it for folks who want to go full-on with the immersion. It can make a bit of difference.

And this is the main basis of the ‘starter kit’ as it were.

General build quality from my initial impressions also seems excellent for the price point Nacon is targeting, with an all-metal wheel base alongside a metal wheel and plush synthetic leather rim. The main rims also have a good selection of buttons, and you can even control presets, force feedback and input mapping in an associated smartphone app.

Compatibility is purely for Windows at the moment, although I heard rumblings at the event that Nacon was talking to Xbox and PlayStation for console compatibility. Nothing seems to have come from that yet, so I wouldn’t bank on it being available any time soon – and it may come via new hardware rather than a software update.

For what’s on offer here, the £699 price tag for the complete bundle including rim, base and pedals is reasonably compelling – though we’ll wait for our full review to deliver a final verdict on a wider range of racing scenarios, software support and the wider ecosystem.



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Crypto Trends

FTX Repayments May Have Positive Market Impact This Time: Coinbase Analysts

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The FTX Recovery Trust will begin distributing over $5 billion in cash and stablecoins to creditors starting on Friday, with funds expected to land in accounts within the next three business days via BitGo and Kraken.

And there’s a chance this wave of repayments will help lift the crypto market, analysts at Coinbase wrote in a report on Friday.

It’s the second major round of repayments following the exchange’s collapse. The first, which began on Feb. 18, returned roughly $7 billion to creditors with claims under $50,000. That did little to lift broader crypto markets at the time, which remained under pressure from macro headwinds.

This latest wave of distributions comes as investor sentiment has shifted, the analysts said. Payments will arrive in stablecoins, offering recipients immediate on-chain liquidity, instead of cash and crypto. That could influence whether the funds are reinvested.

There’s also a broader sense of optimism in crypto markets, thanks in part to a rally in major assets and increased political clarity around regulation. Institutional players, in particular, may feel more comfortable acting on incoming funds, especially as Congress moves closer to passing legislation that would define the roles of U.S. regulators overseeing digital assets.



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Bitcoin
Crypto Trends

Bitcoin Demand In US Grows: Coinbase Premium Index Back In Positive Zone Amid BTC’s Rally

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Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Even with Bitcoin’s price experiencing waning performance or growing bearish pressure, bullish sentiment continues to increase strongly in the broader crypto market. Following the recent rally to a new all-time high, there has been a notable improvement in the BTC’s Coinbase Premium Index.

Positive Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Index

Bitcoin’s price may have experienced a slight pullback, but several key aspects still indicate a potential continuation of its recent upward trend. As the flagship digital asset gears up for an extended rally, Alphractal, an on-chain data analytics platform, mentions that a key market indicator is flashing signs of renewed investors’ interest.

In its post on X, the platform announced that Bitcoin’s Coinbase Premium Index has returned to positive territory after rallying to a new all-time high. This bullish shift has ignited newfound optimism in the market, generating more interest in the crypto giant.

Specifically, the Coinbase Premium Index is a crucial market indicator that calculates the difference in Bitcoin’s price on the Coinbase exchange and other international crypto exchanges.  The index’s move into positive territory implies that many traders in the United States are once again paying more to purchase BTC. “During Bitcoin’s latest rally, the Coinbase Premium Index turned positive again, signaling significant buying pressure from the U.S. market,” the platform stated.

Coinbase premium resuming its bullish course | Source: Alphractal on X

Alphractal noted that when the metric is positive, as it is now, it indicates that BTC is trading at a premium on the Coinbase exchange, which represents stronger demand from US-based markets. Such a pattern is frequently linked to institutional accumulation and an increase in local demand. According to the on-chain expert, the shift is a signal worth paying close attention to in the recent market trends.

Presently, the development provides Bitcoin’s ongoing upward trend an additional boost and may support the current bullish market sentiment. With the growing adoption and interest in BTC from US investors, the flagship asset could be poised for another major rally as seen in past scenarios, suggesting that the bull market is not yet over.

A Resurgence Of BTC’s Whale Investors

Heightened interest has gained steam among major BTC investors. While prices have briefly declined, the number of whale wallet addresses holding 1,000 BTC or more has started to climb once again, a trend that signals renewed conviction in the asset.

A recent report from Glassnode shows that these large investors have begun increasing after dropping in late April. From late April till now, this cohort rose to 1,455 even as BTC’s price surged to a new all-time high days ago.

This increase amidst the current consolidation phase raises the possibility that long-term investors and institutional players are capitalizing on recent price swings and preparing for a future change in the market. Since growing whale accumulation has historically led to major moves, this development could be a bullish indication of a sustained uptrend.

BTC trading at $109,065 on the 1D chart | Source: BTCUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

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