Google is planning to repurpose its Stadia technology by partnering with companies to white-label the tech that powers the tech giant's streaming service, Business Insider reports.

According to the outlet, the new partnership will be rebranded from Stadia to "Google Stream." Several companies, including Capcom and Bungie. Bungie, which is set to be acquired by PlayStation, is "exploring" its own streaming platform.

Google is also broadening its horizons and apparently talked to other companies, such as the exercise equipment company Peloton. Business Insider reports that conversations between the two companies include whether Peloton can be a "back-end" provider for games running on its line of fitness bikes. Last June, Peloton announced it intention to launch an in-app fitness game.

This would not be the first time Google pivoted to licensing out its tech to other companies. Last October, AT&T was offering customers a chance to stream Batman: Arkham Knight, free of charge on Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome desktop browsers. IGN received confirmation from both AT&T and Google that the game was being powered by the technology that Stadia uses.

The announcement that Google is pivoting to licensing out the Stadia tech is an interesting approach for the company. Stadia launched in November 2019, though roughly three years later, the company's cloud gaming platform has had a rocky road.

In 2021 alone, Stadia's game director left to join Stadia Cloud, several employees left to join Haven Entertainment, and the head of Product left the company entirely. Additionally, roughly a year ago, Google shuttered its internal game studios.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Google is planning to repurpose its Stadia technology by partnering with companies to white-label the tech that powers the tech giant's streaming service, Business Insider reports.

According to the outlet, the new partnership will be rebranded from Stadia to "Google Stream." Several companies, including Capcom and Bungie. Bungie, which is set to be acquired by PlayStation, is "exploring" its own streaming platform.

Google is also broadening its horizons and apparently talked to other companies, such as the exercise equipment company Peloton. Business Insider reports that conversations between the two companies include whether Peloton can be a "back-end" provider for games running on its line of fitness bikes. Last June, Peloton announced it intention to launch an in-app fitness game.

This would not be the first time Google pivoted to licensing out its tech to other companies. Last October, AT&T was offering customers a chance to stream Batman: Arkham Knight, free of charge on Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome desktop browsers. IGN received confirmation from both AT&T and Google that the game was being powered by the technology that Stadia uses.

The announcement that Google is pivoting to licensing out the Stadia tech is an interesting approach for the company. Stadia launched in November 2019, though roughly three years later, the company's cloud gaming platform has had a rocky road.

In 2021 alone, Stadia's game director left to join Stadia Cloud, several employees left to join Haven Entertainment, and the head of Product left the company entirely. Additionally, roughly a year ago, Google shuttered its internal game studios.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

US government officials want Nintendo hacker Gary Bowser to face a five-year jail sentence for his role in creating and selling devices that hosted pirated games.

The proposed 60-month sentence was discovered in a recent court document, spotted by Eurogamer. The document lays down the argument for Bowser to be locked away for five years, with a further three years of supervised release, in order for him to "recognize the harm" that derived from his crimes, having pled guilty to two piracy charges last year.

The US government suggests their recommended term of imprisonment reflects "the nature and circumstances of the offence, the history and characteristics of the defendant, and the need for the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offence, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment...to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct."

Bowser's legal team, however, are vying for a much shorter sentence, arguing that their client is "the least culpable and only apprehended defendant from this indictment," leaving him with the "brunt" of the blame. His lawyers recognized that Nintendo had "suffered substantial monetary loss" as a result of the offences but deemed a 19-month jail term as appropriate.

The Canadian hacker previously admitted to earning "at least tens of millions of dollars of proceeds" from the hacking devices, though it's understood that he took a fraction of that. According to Eurogamer, his defense estimated that Bowser collected $320k over seven years but they have indicated that other members of the enterprise earned more.

Nintendo of America and its president Doug Bowser filed a lawsuit against alleged Team Xecuter leader Gary Bowser in April of last year for infringing on Nintendo's copyright by creating and selling piracy-enabling game console devices designed to circumvent security measures and give device users access to a library of pirated games.

Bowser originally denied the allegations of hacking but changed his position in November to plead guilty, admitting his involvement with Team-Xecuter, the alleged hacking group behind the "international pirate ring," and signed a statement to acknowledge that he "knowingly and willfully participated in a cybercriminal enterprise that hacked leading gaming consoles."

After taking responsibility for his role in the production and sale of the devices, Bowser agreed to help the US government locate any additional Team-Xecuter assets. He was also handed a $4.5 million fine and has since accepted a $10 million fine as part of Nintendo's own civil lawsuit against him, but a judge is yet to make a decision on the length of his jail term.

Nintendo has zero tolerance for those looking to infringe upon its copyright. The company previously won a lawsuit against RomUniverse and ordered the Rom-hosting site to destroy all of its pirated games and pay $2m in damages, with an injunction that prohibited the site's operator to "copy, distribute, sell, or even play unauthorized copies of Nintendo games."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

US government officials want Nintendo hacker Gary Bowser to face a five-year jail sentence for his role in creating and selling devices that hosted pirated games.

The proposed 60-month sentence was discovered in a recent court document, spotted by Eurogamer. The document lays down the argument for Bowser to be locked away for five years, with a further three years of supervised release, in order for him to "recognize the harm" that derived from his crimes, having pled guilty to two piracy charges last year.

The US government suggests their recommended term of imprisonment reflects "the nature and circumstances of the offence, the history and characteristics of the defendant, and the need for the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offence, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment...to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct."

Bowser's legal team, however, are vying for a much shorter sentence, arguing that their client is "the least culpable and only apprehended defendant from this indictment," leaving him with the "brunt" of the blame. His lawyers recognized that Nintendo had "suffered substantial monetary loss" as a result of the offences but deemed a 19-month jail term as appropriate.

The Canadian hacker previously admitted to earning "at least tens of millions of dollars of proceeds" from the hacking devices, though it's understood that he took a fraction of that. According to Eurogamer, his defense estimated that Bowser collected $320k over seven years but they have indicated that other members of the enterprise earned more.

Nintendo of America and its president Doug Bowser filed a lawsuit against alleged Team Xecuter leader Gary Bowser in April of last year for infringing on Nintendo's copyright by creating and selling piracy-enabling game console devices designed to circumvent security measures and give device users access to a library of pirated games.

Bowser originally denied the allegations of hacking but changed his position in November to plead guilty, admitting his involvement with Team-Xecuter, the alleged hacking group behind the "international pirate ring," and signed a statement to acknowledge that he "knowingly and willfully participated in a cybercriminal enterprise that hacked leading gaming consoles."

After taking responsibility for his role in the production and sale of the devices, Bowser agreed to help the US government locate any additional Team-Xecuter assets. He was also handed a $4.5 million fine and has since accepted a $10 million fine as part of Nintendo's own civil lawsuit against him, but a judge is yet to make a decision on the length of his jail term.

Nintendo has zero tolerance for those looking to infringe upon its copyright. The company previously won a lawsuit against RomUniverse and ordered the Rom-hosting site to destroy all of its pirated games and pay $2m in damages, with an injunction that prohibited the site's operator to "copy, distribute, sell, or even play unauthorized copies of Nintendo games."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Resident Evil 4 has long been rumored to be getting a remake, and the original game’s creator wants to see it improve on his story, which he says he was forced to write in just three weeks..

During an interview with VG242, Shinji Mikami said that “fans will most likely want [a remake], and so that’s a good thing.”

“It would be great if Capcom could do a great job and make the story better,” he added, “and put out a good product.”

Mikami – who created the Resident Evil series, directed and wrote Resident Evil 4, and left Capcom in 2007 – revealed that he wrote the Resident Evil 4 story in just three weeks. According to the former Capcom director, this was out of necessity more than anything. It seems he's less happy with that narrative than the game itself.

The Resident Evil 4 remake has been rumored for some time, with leaked documents reportedly from Capcom suggesting a release date was at one point planned for sometime later this year, in Q4 (October-December).

Further reports say the remake apparently changed hands early last year after development team M-Two wanted to remain “too faithful” to the original game. It’s said that Capcom preferred to take inspiration from the original game, much like its remake of Resident Evil 3, while introducing new elements and features.

They even tweaked the story to some degree, with STARS agent Brad dying off-screen, turning into a zombie to then infect Marvin Branagh shortly afterward. They may sound like small tweaks but they can make a big difference to the overall story.

It sounds as though Mikami wouldn't mind a similar approach to Resident Evil 4.

Either way, it sounds as though Resident Evil 4 will have to deviate from the formula to some degree. The Resident Evil 3 Remake’s take on Nemesis tied it even more closely to Resident Evil 4 – And that’s something we’ll likely see continue in the upcoming Resi 4 remake.

Elsewhere, Resident Evil 4 has been turning heads with its recent VR port, bringing with it some major combat improvements. Check out the first 16 minutes of Resident Evil 4 VR on the Oculus Quest 2.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Resident Evil 4 has long been rumored to be getting a remake, and the original game’s creator wants to see it improve on his story, which he says he was forced to write in just three weeks..

During an interview with VG242, Shinji Mikami said that “fans will most likely want [a remake], and so that’s a good thing.”

“It would be great if Capcom could do a great job and make the story better,” he added, “and put out a good product.”

Mikami – who created the Resident Evil series, directed and wrote Resident Evil 4, and left Capcom in 2007 – revealed that he wrote the Resident Evil 4 story in just three weeks. According to the former Capcom director, this was out of necessity more than anything. It seems he's less happy with that narrative than the game itself.

The Resident Evil 4 remake has been rumored for some time, with leaked documents reportedly from Capcom suggesting a release date was at one point planned for sometime later this year, in Q4 (October-December).

Further reports say the remake apparently changed hands early last year after development team M-Two wanted to remain “too faithful” to the original game. It’s said that Capcom preferred to take inspiration from the original game, much like its remake of Resident Evil 3, while introducing new elements and features.

They even tweaked the story to some degree, with STARS agent Brad dying off-screen, turning into a zombie to then infect Marvin Branagh shortly afterward. They may sound like small tweaks but they can make a big difference to the overall story.

It sounds as though Mikami wouldn't mind a similar approach to Resident Evil 4.

Either way, it sounds as though Resident Evil 4 will have to deviate from the formula to some degree. The Resident Evil 3 Remake’s take on Nemesis tied it even more closely to Resident Evil 4 – And that’s something we’ll likely see continue in the upcoming Resi 4 remake.

Elsewhere, Resident Evil 4 has been turning heads with its recent VR port, bringing with it some major combat improvements. Check out the first 16 minutes of Resident Evil 4 VR on the Oculus Quest 2.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

GTA 5 and GTA Online will be released as upgraded, native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions on March 15.

After a delay last year, Rockstar has confirmed that the new-gen editions will arrive soon, bringing "new graphics modes with up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, texture and draw distance upgrades, HDR options and ray-tracing".

Rockstar also promises that the games will take advantage of new console tech, offering "faster loading times, immersive 3D audio, platform-specific features like advanced haptic feedback, and much more."

Players will be able to perform a "one-time migration" of their story mode progress and GTA Online characters from PS4 and Xbox One to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

It's not clear whether there will be a free or paid upgrade path from last-gen games, nor whether save migration can be performed cross-platform, or has to stay within a console family. We've contacted Rockstar for comment.

As previously announced, GTA Online will also be released as a standalone game, without the need to purchase GTA 5. It will be free for three months after launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but Rockstar has not announced a price after that date.

GTA Online itself will also be add new onboarding features when it comes to the new console generation. Players will be able to skip the GTA 5 story prologue to enter (presumably because Online no longer requires a purchase of 5), and a new Career Builder feature is being added.

New Online players will be able to choose to create one of four businesses – Biker, Executive, Nightclub Owner, or Gunrunner – to start the game with, along with in-game cash wot buy properties, vehicles, and weapons. Returning players can either transfer their character's existing progress, or restart the game and use the Career Builder function.

The new-gen versions of the game will also add Hao's Special Works auto shop, which allows players to upgrade 10 vehicles for "elite driving performance that takes full advantage of the upgraded power of new console hardware."

Today's announcement also confirmed that GTA 6 is in development, and it will be interesting to see how that game builds around the existing GTA Online structure.

GTA Online recently got perhaps its most high-profile addition yet – a Franklin-based campaign set years after GTA 5, and co-starring the actual Dr. Dre. Visit the IGN GTA 5 wiki for a full guide of The Contract DLC and check out the GTA 5 cheats list to add some extra mayhem to your campaign playthrough.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

GTA 5 and GTA Online will be released as upgraded, native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions on March 15.

After a delay last year, Rockstar has confirmed that the new-gen editions will arrive soon, bringing "new graphics modes with up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, texture and draw distance upgrades, HDR options and ray-tracing".

Rockstar also promises that the games will take advantage of new console tech, offering "faster loading times, immersive 3D audio, platform-specific features like advanced haptic feedback, and much more."

Players will be able to perform a "one-time migration" of their story mode progress and GTA Online characters from PS4 and Xbox One to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

It's not clear whether there will be a free or paid upgrade path from last-gen games, nor whether save migration can be performed cross-platform, or has to stay within a console family. We've contacted Rockstar for comment.

As previously announced, GTA Online will also be released as a standalone game, without the need to purchase GTA 5. It will be free for three months after launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but Rockstar has not announced a price after that date.

GTA Online itself will also be add new onboarding features when it comes to the new console generation. Players will be able to skip the GTA 5 story prologue to enter (presumably because Online no longer requires a purchase of 5), and a new Career Builder feature is being added.

New Online players will be able to choose to create one of four businesses – Biker, Executive, Nightclub Owner, or Gunrunner – to start the game with, along with in-game cash wot buy properties, vehicles, and weapons. Returning players can either transfer their character's existing progress, or restart the game and use the Career Builder function.

The new-gen versions of the game will also add Hao's Special Works auto shop, which allows players to upgrade 10 vehicles for "elite driving performance that takes full advantage of the upgraded power of new console hardware."

Today's announcement also confirmed that GTA 6 is in development, and it will be interesting to see how that game builds around the existing GTA Online structure.

GTA Online recently got perhaps its most high-profile addition yet – a Franklin-based campaign set years after GTA 5, and co-starring the actual Dr. Dre.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

After years of rumours and reports, Rockstar has confirmed it's working on a new Grand Theft Auto game, and said that it's "well underway".

In a new press release, a Rockstar spokesperson wrote:

"With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway. We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready, so please stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for official details.

On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!"

IGN reported that GTA 6 – if that is indeed what the game ends up being called – was in development back in 2020, but that it was a long way from release. Further reports pegged the game to arrive in 2024 or 2025.

As for the game itself, Rockstar isn't saying any more right now, or committing to when it will say more. Previous reports have said that the initial version of GTA 6 could be smaller than GTA 5, with updates used to build on it over time. Other reports say that the game will return to a Miami-inspired Vice City setting, and some fans even think Rockstar snuck a first screenshot into the GTA Trilogy remasters.

Last year, Rockstar patented a new system for NPC navigation, which some believe will be used in the next GTA. The system is designed to make for more realistic traffic behaviour, creating more life-like road users – with a particular view to making it useful in a "multiplayer network gaming community."

This will be the first modern GTA game released after the departure of Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser, who helped write all the GTA games from 2 to 5, as well as the Red Dead series, Bully, and Max Payne 3. His brother, Sam Houser, remains on the project.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

After years of rumours and reports, Rockstar has confirmed it's working on a new Grand Theft Auto game, and said that it's "well underway".

In a new press release, a Rockstar spokesperson wrote:

"With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway. We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready, so please stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for official details.

On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!"

IGN reported that GTA 6 – if that is indeed what the game ends up being called – was in development back in 2020, but that it was a long way from release. Further reports pegged the game to arrive in 2024 or 2025.

As for the game itself, Rockstar isn't saying any more right now, or committing to when it will say more. Previous reports have said that the initial version of GTA 6 could be smaller than GTA 5, with updates used to build on it over time. Other reports say that the game will return to a Miami-inspired Vice City setting, and some fans even think Rockstar snuck a first screenshot into the GTA Trilogy remasters.

Last year, Rockstar patented a new system for NPC navigation, which some believe will be used in the next GTA. The system is designed to make for more realistic traffic behaviour, creating more life-like road users – with a particular view to making it useful in a "multiplayer network gaming community."

This will be the first modern GTA game released after the departure of Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser, who helped write all the GTA games from 2 to 5, as well as the Red Dead series, Bully, and Max Payne 3. His brother, Sam Houser, remains on the project.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.