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BioWare’s future under EA in question, studio veteran warns, if it makes “the kind of games that this new company isn’t interested in making anymore”

by admin October 2, 2025

BioWare veteran Mark Darrah has discussed the $55bn private acquisition of EA and what the future holds for the RPG studio, suggesting it could be sold to pay off debt.

The buyout, announced earlier this week, is by a group of investors comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. Of the $55bn, $36bn is in equity with the remaining $20bn in JPMorgan debt, which EA will need to cover.

In his latest YouTube video, Darrah (best known as a producer across the Dragon Age games) suggested EA may be looking to sell off some of its biggest IPs and studios in order to service that debt.

Dragon Age The Veilguard Review: The BEST Bioware Has EVER Been! (Spoiler-Free)Watch on YouTube

Darrah explained EA is incentivised not to take risks, and selling off an IP only for it to become a huge success elsewhere would be a notable risk. Doing nothing “keeps them from getting into trouble”, but now that incentive could be completely flipped to drive immediate revenue.

“EA has a huge repository of dormant IPs that are just sitting there dormant,” said Darrah. “It seems unlikely that the new resulting structure is going to be eager to suddenly revive a bunch of those IPs.

“So one option might be to sell the whole lot of them for a hundred million dollars if you can get it, because a hundred million dollars can come off the debt. You might even see them toying with the idea of shedding some of their existing studios. Maybe they shut them down, but maybe they look for opportunities to sell off entire studios, or entire groups.”

He continued: “It makes a tonne of sense for this new group to want EA Sports whole and strong and to continue doing what it’s doing. EA Entertainment…may make a lot less sense. So you could imagine potentially all of EA Entertainment being sold off to another group with deep pockets.”

EA Goes Private For 55 Billion?!Watch on YouTube

He even suggested that, as this deal has likely been in the works for a while, it’s conceivable EA’s new structure was intentionally planned to make it easier to sell off parts of the business. As such, EA owns plenty of studios that haven’t shipped a game in a while, or have experienced problems, or make “the kind of games that this new company isn’t interested in making anymore”.

Darrah noted EA has “a lot of momentum” in not selling studios, but added “we’re in a new world now”. “It’s incredibly unlikely that EA stays exactly as it currently is in a private structure, especially carrying £20bn worth of debt,” he said.

So what does this all mean for BioWare specifically?

“For the studios that have more of a track record, especially a track record that maybe doesn’t line up with your own political views…you’re going to look at that studio and wonder how you make them fit into your new structure,” said Darrah.

“It’s hard to imagine that you have BioWare pivot from having very progressive messaging to having the reverse because it’s what the government wants. It’s hard to imagine that the public perception of a game that comes out of BioWare, even if you do do that, isn’t apocalyptically bad.” That would mean leaving the studio alone, or assuming it no longer fits in the organisation.

While Darrah is, of course, merely speculating, the deal certainly brings the future of all EA’s studios into question. Yet with the progressive nature of its RPGs, BioWare’s future under a Saudi-owned company is particularly uncertain.

In a statement to employees, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the company’s “values and our commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged”.

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October 2, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Coinbase CEO Warns Banks Want to Kill Your Crypto Rewards

by admin September 30, 2025

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently took to the X social media network to slam “big banks” for trying to reverse the ability of cryptocurrency trading platforms to offer rewards in Circle’s USDC stablecoin.

Armstrong argues that banks are attempting to preserve their monopoly over deposits.

“They want to undo your right under the GENIUS Act law to earn USDC rewards. Don’t let them,” Armstrong said.

I’ve never been more bullish about clear rules for crypto. It’s obvious that market structure is a freight train that’s left the station.

But that hasn’t stopped the big banks from coming for another handout – this time paid by your crypto rewards. They want to undo your right… pic.twitter.com/hmPYmagDhj

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) September 29, 2025

The Coinbase executive has stressed that bailing out big banks, which are enjoying record-breaking profit margins, “is not gonna fly.” “That would be a foolish thing to do politically because there’s 50 million Americans like you who have now used crypto,” he stressed.

Clamping down on stablecoin yield

Coinbase and other cryptocurrency firms, including Kraken, Gemini, and BitGo, are currently leading an intense lobbying push that is meant to prevent banks from banning crypto rewards.

‘Uptober’ Is Myth for XRP, Price History Warns

by admin September 28, 2025

Every October, the crypto community repeats the same slogan: “Uptober.” For Bitcoin, at least, it sometimes finds support in the charts. For XRP, however, the story is far more complicated. Examining more than a decade of price history, the numbers don’t justify optimism.

Monthly data shows that October has produced some of XRP’s most dramatic price fluctuations. In 2013, for example, the token soared by more than 94%. In 2014, it jumped by 130%. In 2015, there was a milder 4.7% gain, and in 2017, there was only a 1.49% increase, as per CryptoRank.

On the other hand, years like 2018 and 2021 delivered double-digit losses. The most explosive October was in 2020, when XRP spiked by almost 179% in just four weeks. However, these isolated events create a distorted picture.

Source: CryptoRank

Strip away the extremes, and the median October return is a loss of 1.79%. The average is even worse: -4.58%. This suggests that history shows October is more likely to disappoint XRP holders than reward them, despite the occasional blockbuster year that fuels the “Uptober” myth.

Quarterly data reinforces this warning

While Q4 has historically been the strongest period for XRP, with an average gain of nearly 88%, the median shows a loss of 4.32%. This again highlights that the results are heavily distorted by a few extraordinary runs rather than consistent seasonal strength.

The pattern is clear — “Uptober” is not a reliable trading strategy for XRP. Past years prove that, while outsized rallies are possible, the typical outcome is modest or negative.

Investors expecting green candles every October are relying on folklore, not probability. While history doesn’t eliminate the possibility of another upside surprise, it does emphasize the risk of treating a single month as a guarantee.

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September 28, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Elliptic Warns of Industrial-Scale Pig Butchering Scams Laundering Through Crypto

by admin September 26, 2025

Pig butchering, a form of romance fraud in which victims are groomed into sending money to fake crypto investment schemes, has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic’s 2025 Typologies Report.

The study points to increasingly organized methods of laundering stolen funds using practices that resemble professional financial operations.

Elliptic’s investigators found that scammers often pool victims’ deposits into self-hosted wallets used only to consolidate and move funds. From there, the money flows through chains of transactions designed to obscure its origin, sometimes passing through cross-chain bridges or payment processing services that offer a veneer of legitimacy.

A common tactic involves using mule accounts at regulated crypto platforms. These accounts frequently share suspicious markers such as identical residential addresses, repeated IP logins, and patterns of transfers between accounts.

Photos submitted for compliance checks sometimes show operators working out of call centers or warehouses in Southeast Asian countries where pig-butchering operations are known to originate.

The report underscores that, unlike cash-based crime, blockchain leaves behind visible transaction trails. This transparency gives regulators and platforms new tools to spot suspicious activity even as scammers refine their methods.

Elliptic also warns that pig butchering is only one piece of a broader picture. The report also detailed how individuals facing official sanctions are increasingly turning to stablecoins for cross-border transactions.

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September 26, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

FOMO Fuels BNB Surge, But Analyst Warns Of Short-Term Fragility

by admin September 25, 2025

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

BNB has entered a historic phase after surging above the $1,000 mark, positioning itself as one of the few altcoins from the previous cycle to chart fresh all-time highs. This milestone underscores its resilience and strength, particularly in a market where most altcoins continue to struggle with volatility and downside pressure.

Despite a recent pullback, sentiment remains notably bullish. Analysts point to the token’s decisive momentum, with its breakout above previous resistance levels setting it apart as one of the strongest performers in the current cycle. Top analyst Darkfost highlights that since August, BNB has shown remarkable price action by breaking through its former all-time high of $793 with conviction.

Since then, the token has climbed steadily, recently hitting a new record price of $1,083—an impressive 50% gain year-to-date. This performance reflects not only investor confidence in BNB but also the ecosystem’s continued growth and its evolving role within the broader crypto landscape.

BNB Outperformance And Risks Ahead

In a recent CryptoQuant report, Darkfost highlighted how BNB’s price action stands in sharp contrast with the broader altcoin market. While most altcoins have struggled to regain momentum since the beginning of the year, BNB has emerged as a clear leader, consistently breaking higher and securing new all-time highs. The crossing of the $1,000 milestone marked not just a psychological victory but also a structural turning point for the token’s market dynamics.

BNB Spot Volume Bubble Map | Source: CryptoQuant

Darkfost further explained that this turning point was amplified by the growing connection between Binance and ASTER, the new perpetual DEX backed by CZ. With Binance’s influence and ASTER’s rapid growth, investors are increasingly seeing BNB as not only a token tied to an exchange but also a gateway to a broader ecosystem of innovation and liquidity.

That said, cautionary signals are also surfacing. Spot trading volumes have spiked significantly, suggesting that a portion of BNB’s rally has been driven by FOMO. While such surges often accompany strong bullish trends, they can also introduce fragility into the market. When trading activity overheats, prices become more vulnerable to sharp pullbacks as momentum cools.

BNB currently combines the strength of growing adoption and an expanding ecosystem, with the risks of an overheated short-term setup. This duality makes it both one of the standout winners of the current cycle and a token entering a phase where strategic caution is essential. The coming weeks will test whether BNB can consolidate its gains or if the weight of exuberance sparks a correction.

Price Action Details: Holding Key Level

BNB is currently trading near $995, consolidating just below the $1,000 psychological level after setting a new all-time high at $1,083 last week. The chart shows that after a strong breakout in mid-September, BNB entered a phase of heightened volatility, with sharp moves on both sides as traders react to overbought conditions.

BNB consolidates around key level | Source: BNBUSDT chart on TradingView

The 50 EMA on the 4-hour chart remains well above the 100 and 200 EMAs, showing that the overall uptrend remains intact. However, the recent pullback from $1,083 to under $1,000 indicates that momentum has cooled, and short-term caution is warranted. If bulls can reclaim and hold above $1,000, another push toward $1,050 and potentially a retest of the highs could follow.

On the downside, immediate support lies around $960, where the 50 EMA is converging. A deeper correction could bring the price toward $920, but as long as the structure remains above $900, the broader bullish trend remains valid.

Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Apple warns of more feature delays in Europe

by admin September 25, 2025

Apple says it’s having to delay bringing some product features to Europe because it’s struggling to make them compliant with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). In a statement published on Wednesday, Apple said that DMA rules have created “more complexity and more risks for our EU users,” blaming the obligation to open Apple features to third-party devices for the delays.

Features impacted include AI-powered Live Translation for AirPods, iPhone Mirroring, and Visited Places and Preferred Routes on Apple Maps. While interoperability requirements under the DMA specify that companies make proprietary apps and device features available on third-party hardware, Apple says it hasn’t found a way to make these features available on non-Apple devices without compromising users’ data security and privacy.

DMA requirements to make it easier to pair, transfer data, and display notifications between iPhones and third-party devices are bearing some fruit, however. The latest iOS 26.1 beta suggests that a “notification forwarding” feature will allow iPhone notifications to surface on non-Apple devices, such as smartwatch competitors to the Apple Watch. The beta also includes references to a feature that will make it easier to pair iPhones with third-party accessories.

Despite its ongoing opposition to the DMA, Apple insists that it’s “spending thousands of hours” to be compliant with the law’s requirements, and that the “list of delayed features in the EU will probably get longer” due to these impediments. The EU has given Apple until the end of this year to open up most of these features if it makes them available to European users, or risk facing additional fines under the DMA. The company was hit with a $580 million penalty in April after the App Store violated anti-steering requirements under the rulebook.

The iPhone maker has called for the DMA regulation to be repealed “while a more appropriate fit for purpose legislative instrument is put in place,” according to a feedback submission seen by the Financial Times.

While Apple’s concerns around user security may hold merit, the company is also motivated to see the DMA scrapped to prevent the legislation from tearing down the walled garden that incentivizes consumers to stay in its product ecosystem. Denying Europeans access to features over DMA compliance concerns may help Apple keep its user base on-side in its argument with the EU.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) Warns Against Unregulated Stablecoin Issuance

by admin September 25, 2025

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) warned investors it has not approved any stablecoin issuers, labeling the marketing of such products as illegal, the SCMP reports.

The statement came after Hong Kong-based AnchorX announced the introduction of AxCNH, a stablecoin pegged to the offshore Chinese yuan. The company said it held a license from Kazakhstan’s Astana Financial Services Authority and that the coin would support cross-border payments and tokenized real-world assets, according to the SCMP.

In a statement on its official WeChat channel, the HKMA said no entity had been licensed to issue stablecoins in the city and advised the public to remain cautious.

This marks the first test of Hong Kong’s new stablecoin rules, which came into effect in August. Under the regime, stablecoin issuers must meet stringent standards around licensing, capital, and governance.

The timing of the warning is notable. China’s own securities regulator recently urged brokerages to pause real-world asset (RWA) tokenization activity in Hong Kong, citing risk management concerns.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

SpaceX’s Starship Lunar Lander Could Be ‘Years Late,’ NASA Safety Panel Warns

by admin September 22, 2025

NASA aims to return astronauts to the Moon by mid-2027—a feat that would fulfill a decade of preparation. The agency may have to extend that timeline even further, however, as slow progress on SpaceX’s lunar lander threatens to delay the Artemis 3 mission.

During a public meeting on Friday, members of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel warned that the Human Landing System (HLS) version of Starship could be “years late,” SpaceNews reports. The panel reached that conclusion following a visit last month to SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.

“The HLS schedule is significantly challenged and, in our estimation, could be years late for a 2027 Artemis 3 Moon landing,” said panelist Paul Hill, former director of Mission Operations at NASA.

Another Artemis delay—so what?

Putting American boots back on the Moon is a top priority for NASA. With a new space race underway, global powers including the U.S., China, and Russia are vying for a first-mover advantage.

Whoever reaches the lunar surface first will be able to set certain ground rules about who can do what and where. This would not only reinforce that country’s influence on the Moon and in space but also give it strategic leverage as military operations increasingly depend on space-based assets.

“This is a pivotal moment for our nation’s space program,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during a hearing on legislative priorities for NASA earlier this month. He went on to emphasize that space has become a “strategic frontier with direct consequences for national security, economic growth, and technological leadership.”

How did we get here?

In 2021, NASA contracted Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build a version of Starship capable of landing astronauts on the Moon. At that time, the agency aimed to accomplish a landing by 2024, but that target date has been pushed back in recent years.

Development of Starship HLS has slowed significantly as SpaceX has struggled with repeated explosive failures this year. While Starship’s most recent test flight on August 26 was a success, unmet technical milestones have piled up.

One major issue is demonstrating the cryogenic propellant transfer needed to refuel Starship in low-Earth orbit before the rocket heads to the Moon, Hill said during the Friday meeting. Developmental delays for Starship 3—the first iteration capable of in-orbit fuel transfers—have slowed progress toward this goal.

Hill also pointed to potentially competing priorities for SpaceX between Starlink and Starship HLS, SpacePolicyOnline.com reports. Starship 3 will be integral in launching the third generation of Starlink satellites while simultaneously creating the on-orbit fuel depots and lunar lander for Artemis 3.

“The next six months of Starship launches will be telling about the likelihood of HLS flying crew in 2027 or by the end of the decade,” Hill said.

Despite these concerns, the panelists emphasized that SpaceX is still the only launch provider for the job. “There is no competitor, whether government or industry, that has this full combination of factors that yield this high a manufacturing and flight tempo, with their direct effects on reliability increases and cost reduction,” Hill said.

The downside to relying on SpaceX, however, is clear: Without a launch-ready Starship HLS by 2027, Artemis 3 won’t get off the ground on time.

Back in 2023, NASA selected Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin to provide a second lunar lander, dubbed Blue Ghost, to be used during the Artemis 5 mission later this decade. The contract is worth $3.4 billion and includes a development team consisting of Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Draper, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics.

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September 22, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

AIXBT Warns of Potential Rugpull on ASTER Rather Binance Listing

by admin September 22, 2025

While the buzz around Aster, a newly launched decentralized perpetual trading platform, is growing, AIXBT has warned of a potential rugpull on its token. This Improbable speculation is less likely to occur as prominent entities like Binance Co-Founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and his family-office, YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), are involved with the project. But a strong backing to the claim has raised serious questions.

AIXBT, a crypto-focused AI agent popular among X users, said that the ASTER token has potential to be listed on Binance, but majority of its supply sits in six wallets, signaling potential sell-off at the time of listing.

binance signals are strong but 96% supply in 6 wallets. that’s not a listing it’s a rug waiting to happen

— aixbt (@aixbt_agent) September 21, 2025

These remarks came in response to an X user asking if ASTER could be listed on Binance or Upbit, two of the most popular crypto exchanges. “Binance signals are strong but 96% supply in 6 wallets. That’s not a listing it’s a rug waiting to happen,” AIXBT replied to the question.

Data from Bubblemaps shows that the top six ASTER wallets currently hold 93.14% of the token’s supply, representing a slight change since AIXBT’s post on X. Out of the six wallets, the top two smart contract wallets hold 44.7% and 19.60%, respectively, followed by a third wallet tagged “AstherusVault” holding 13.86% of the total supply.

While some users claim that a large chunk of ASTER supply is sitting in a Swap Vaults smart contract, which is a strategic reserve by the Aster protocol, AIXBT stated that “swap vaults are exit liquidity factories.” It also noted that APX token holders got a “18x return” as they were allowed to swap their token 1:1 with ASTER converted, which suggests a continued sell-off in the market.

Relation between CZ and ASTER token

ASTER is the native token of decentralized perpetual exchange Aster. It was a result of a merger of BNB Chain-based DeFi protocols, Asthereus, and APX-Finance. While the competition between various decentralized perpetual exchanges is taking the stage, Aster is making a buzz with financial backing from YZi Labs and Pancakeswap, a leading DEX on BNB Chain.

CZ has promoted Aster a number of times while sharing posts on X, thus resulting in a wave of upsurge in the ASTER token’s price every time. Zhao is considered one of the most popular personalities within the crypto community, and his advocacy for ASTER is one of the key reasons behind Aster’s growth, which hit $3 billion in daily trading volume.

Significant spikes in ASTER price

Since its launch on September 17, the market price of ASTER token has witnessed a massive growth of over 1,400%, and it is currently trading at $1.54, with a market cap of $2.55 billion. The token was initially launched on Aster’s spot markets, and it later expanded onto a number of crypto exchange platforms in the last few days, including Bybit, Gate, MEXC, HTX, etc., as well as on leading decentralized exchanges like Pancakeswap and Uniswap.

Also Read: Ethereum Hits 27M Daily Transactions, When Will Ecosystem Unite?

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September 22, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Critical Chrome Exploit Could Drain Your Crypto, CTO of French Hardware Wallet Giant Warns

by admin September 18, 2025

Charles Guillemet, chief technology officer at Ledger, has issued a security warning about a major Chrome vulnerability that could potentially allow hackers to drain one’s crypto wallet.

The “Type Confusion” bug, which was recently discovered by security researchers, makes it possible for bad actors to run malicious code by treating one type of data as another. It has been found within V8, the engine that executes JavaScript and WebAssembly.

Simply visiting a malicious website could make it possible for attackers to steal highly sensitive data, including private keys, seed phrases, or wallet files.

Google’s urgent response

Within just 48 hours of the critical vulnerability being detected, Google swiftly moved to publish an emergency update. Chrome users have to make sure that they are using the fixed version (140.0.7339.185).

It is worth noting that all Chromium-based web browsers have been affected, including Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi.

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September 18, 2025 0 comments