Scientists have explained how technology from Star Trek's USS Enterprise could theoretically be made in real life.

Space.com showed how new research explains how warp drives and planetary scanning may not be as far away as Star Trek suggests. Though the Enterprise debuts in fictional 2245, theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre put forward the logic to create one in the early 1990s.

By thinking of space-time as a piece of rubber, and bending that piece of rubber into a wave shape, Alcubierre suggested that folding space-time into a tight wave in front of the ship and a long wave behind it could allow warp speed travel.

An incredible amount of negative mass would be required to do this, however, or equivalent to the mass of a massive star spread around the ship in what Space.com called a "warp bubble".

Recent research from Göttingen University offers an alternative though, relying on positive instead of negative mass, as physicist Erik Lentz hypothesized that layering rings and risks of extremely dense fluid could also form the warp bubble.

Regardless of the method, being able to bend space-time around the ship would allow it to travel faster than the speed of light.

Researchers have also deduced ways to detect life forms on planets, allowing Star Trek's scanning tech to also be brought from fiction to fact.

New research shows that light interacts differently with the biochemistry of living things compared to artificial material. This means that, while aboard a ship, scientists could observe how light interacts with the planet to theoretically identify if life is present.

Through this research and NASA's recently announced Venus drones, sun-powered ships, and swarms of underwater micro-bots, the world of science fiction may be closer than we think.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Scientists have explained how technology from Star Trek's USS Enterprise could theoretically be made in real life.

Space.com showed how new research explains how warp drives and planetary scanning may not be as far away as Star Trek suggests. Though the Enterprise debuts in fictional 2245, theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre put forward the logic to create one in the early 1990s.

By thinking of space-time as a piece of rubber, and bending that piece of rubber into a wave shape, Alcubierre suggested that folding space-time into a tight wave in front of the ship and a long wave behind it could allow warp speed travel.

An incredible amount of negative mass would be required to do this, however, or equivalent to the mass of a massive star spread around the ship in what Space.com called a "warp bubble".

Recent research from Göttingen University offers an alternative though, relying on positive instead of negative mass, as physicist Erik Lentz hypothesized that layering rings and risks of extremely dense fluid could also form the warp bubble.

Regardless of the method, being able to bend space-time around the ship would allow it to travel faster than the speed of light.

Researchers have also deduced ways to detect life forms on planets, allowing Star Trek's scanning tech to also be brought from fiction to fact.

New research shows that light interacts differently with the biochemistry of living things compared to artificial material. This means that, while aboard a ship, scientists could observe how light interacts with the planet to theoretically identify if life is present.

Through this research and NASA's recently announced Venus drones, sun-powered ships, and swarms of underwater micro-bots, the world of science fiction may be closer than we think.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Batman!

The countdown on The Batman ARG has finally ended… and now the website reveals even more clues to be solved.

The official website at rataalada.com was teased after the end credits The Batman. However, it only led to a loading screen which slowly counted towards 100%. Well, that 100% has finally been hit… and now the website has revealed more clues from The Riddler.

“You’ve come this far,” reads the website. “Let’s see if you’re willing to discover more. While you unmask everything that has yet to be revealed, I’m safe here. With my new friend. We will see you soon.”

The message is clearly sent from The Riddler (Paul Dano) while the ‘new friend’ he mentions is none other than The Joker (Barry Keoghan) – teased towards the end of the movie with a scene inside Arkham Asylum.

As for the ARG, it also revealed a link to a zip folder full of images. Check them out in the gallery above.

Within those images, there are even more instances of the Riddler’s cipher – meaning that many of the pictures contain coded messages from The Riddler himself. Can the internet crack The Riddler’s code once more? In the meantime, we’re going to have a go ourselves…

Note: The cipher sequences in these images seem to simply state "You are el rata alada" over and over...

Again, the website has been updated, this time stating: "You did so well. And you know...". Then, a link appeared to the following image.

Decoded, this simply states: "Gotham loves a comeback."

Of course, this isn’t the first trick The Batman has played, with director Matt Reeves filming several fake scenes to protect the film’s ending.

IGN’s review of The Batman called it “a gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves.”

If you want to read more about The Batman, you can find out the answers to The Batman’s 5 biggest burning questions, or take a look at what the ending really means.

Robert Pattinson stars as The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Peter Craig.

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

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Batman!

The countdown on The Batman ARG has finally ended… and now the website reveals even more clues to be solved.

The official website at rataalada.com was teased after the end credits The Batman. However, it only led to a loading screen which slowly counted towards 100%. Well, that 100% has finally been hit… and now the website has revealed more clues from The Riddler.

“You’ve come this far,” reads the website. “Let’s see if you’re willing to discover more. While you unmask everything that has yet to be revealed, I’m safe here. With my new friend. We will see you soon.”

The message is clearly sent from The Riddler (Paul Dano) while the ‘new friend’ he mentions is none other than The Joker (Barry Keoghan) – teased towards the end of the movie with a scene inside Arkham Asylum.

As for the ARG, it also revealed a link to a zip folder full of images. Check them out in the gallery above.

Within those images, there are even more instances of the Riddler’s cipher – meaning that many of the pictures contain coded messages from The Riddler himself. Can the internet crack The Riddler’s code once more? In the meantime, we’re going to have a go ourselves…

Note: The cipher sequences in these images seem to simply state "You are el rata alada" over and over...

Again, the website has been updated, this time stating: "You did so well. And you know...". Then, a link appeared to the following image.

Decoded, this simply states: "Gotham loves a comeback."

Of course, this isn’t the first trick The Batman has played, with director Matt Reeves filming several fake scenes to protect the film’s ending.

IGN’s review of The Batman called it “a gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves.”

If you want to read more about The Batman, you can find out the answers to The Batman’s 5 biggest burning questions, or take a look at what the ending really means.

Robert Pattinson stars as The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Peter Craig.

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

The shady pasta-faced trader, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr can be found at Winding Cove in the EDZ on March 11 through March 15. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Winding Cove. When you arrive, make for the rock cliffs at the far end of the cove and look for a cave winding up to a platform next to some Fallen. There you'll find the freakish salesman we all adore.

What's Xûr Selling Today?

Xûr's streak of offering bad armor continues, but we did get a few good weapons to use in The Witch Queen's Throne World. Check it out!

Exotic Engram

Fighting Lion - Exotic Grenade Launcher

Graviton Forfeit - Exotic Hunter Helmet

• 17 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 7 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 10 Strength
• Total: 48

Synthoceps - Exotic Titan Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 11 Resilience
• 3 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 46

Aeon Soul - Exotic Warlock Gauntlets

• 6 Mobility
• 8 Resilience
• 13 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 51

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon - Exotic Hand Cannon

• Paracausal Shot
• Extended Barrel
• Alloy Magazine
• Eye of the Storm
• Polymer Grip

Dead Man's Tale - Exotic Scout Rifle

• Cranial Spike
• Chambered Compensator
• Armor-Piercing Rounds
• Fourth Time's The Charm
• Composite Stock

Sunshot and Dead Man's Tale are still great weapons, but the rolls this week aren't anything particularly stellar. Grab 'em if you need them in your collections, otherwise they're a pretty easy skip.

Similarly, Xûr's Exotic armor this week is pretty low stat and should be skipped unless you need it.

Legendary Weapons

Main Ingredient - Fusion Rifle

• Hitmark IS/Red Dot 2 MOA/Red Dot Micro
• Accelerated Coils/Projection Fuse
• Firmly Planted
• Tap The Trigger
• Stability Masterwork

Wishbringer - Shotgun

• Rifled Barrel/Smallbore
• Appended Mag/Extended Mag
• Slideshot
• Auto-Loading Holster
• Range Masterwork

Night Watch - Scout Rifle

• Fluted Barrel/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Tactical Mag/Steady Rounds
• Rapid Hit
• Multikill Clip
• Handling Masterwork

Seventh Seraph SI-2 - Sidearm

• Hammer-Forged Rifling/Polygonal Rifling
• Steady Rounds/Alloy Magazine
• Field Prep
• Elemental Capacitor
• Range Masterwork

Jian 7 Rifle - Pulse Rifle

• Slo-10 Post/SPO-28 Front
• Armor-Piercing Rounds/Light Mag
• Firmly Planted
• Swashbuckler
• Range Masterwork

The Swarm - Machine Gun

• Corkscrew Rifling/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Extended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Killing Wind
• One For All
• Reload Speed Masterwork

Shattered Cipher - Machine Gun

• Chambered Compensator/Polygonal Rifling
• Tactical Mag/Flared Magwell
• Auto-Loading Holster
• Unrelenting
• Stability Masterwork

Finally some good rolls this week! The Main Ingredient in particular is a delicious God roll that you should immediately pick up -- especially since fusion rifles dominate the DPS meta at the moment. The Swarm is also a pretty decent roll for boss DPS and that Reload Speed Masterwork will ensure you spend less time reloading in between volleys. Feel free to skip the others unless you need them in your collection.

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Bond

This week the Warlock Legendary Armor is both low-stat and weirdly geared towards melee play. Pretty awful. Don't buy it!

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Mark

Another set of low-stat rolls gear for melee play. I suppose you're more likely to want this than the Warlock or Hunter's rolls, but God...just don't do it.

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Cloak

Identical rolls all the way down for armor, straight from the collection stats...is Xur broken?

That's a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! Hope you're all enjoying your adventures in the Witch Queen's throne world. Did you get through the new raid yet? Let me know in the comments! For more on Destiny, check out some of the new weapons and gear you can find in The Witch Queen and read about how Sony's purchase of Bungie fits into its larger plans.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

The shady pasta-faced trader, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week's reset. If you're looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he's got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We've rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr can be found at Winding Cove in the EDZ on March 11 through March 15. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Winding Cove. When you arrive, make for the rock cliffs at the far end of the cove and look for a cave winding up to a platform next to some Fallen. There you'll find the freakish salesman we all adore.

What's Xûr Selling Today?

Xûr's streak of offering bad armor continues, but we did get a few good weapons to use in The Witch Queen's Throne World. Check it out!

Exotic Engram

Fighting Lion - Exotic Grenade Launcher

Graviton Forfeit - Exotic Hunter Helmet

• 17 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 7 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 10 Strength
• Total: 48

Synthoceps - Exotic Titan Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 11 Resilience
• 3 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 46

Aeon Soul - Exotic Warlock Gauntlets

• 6 Mobility
• 8 Resilience
• 13 Recovery
• 6 Discipline
• 6 Intellect
• 12 Strength
• Total: 51

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon - Exotic Hand Cannon

• Paracausal Shot
• Extended Barrel
• Alloy Magazine
• Eye of the Storm
• Polymer Grip

Dead Man's Tale - Exotic Scout Rifle

• Cranial Spike
• Chambered Compensator
• Armor-Piercing Rounds
• Fourth Time's The Charm
• Composite Stock

Sunshot and Dead Man's Tale are still great weapons, but the rolls this week aren't anything particularly stellar. Grab 'em if you need them in your collections, otherwise they're a pretty easy skip.

Similarly, Xûr's Exotic armor this week is pretty low stat and should be skipped unless you need it.

Legendary Weapons

Main Ingredient - Fusion Rifle

• Hitmark IS/Red Dot 2 MOA/Red Dot Micro
• Accelerated Coils/Projection Fuse
• Firmly Planted
• Tap The Trigger
• Stability Masterwork

Wishbringer - Shotgun

• Rifled Barrel/Smallbore
• Appended Mag/Extended Mag
• Slideshot
• Auto-Loading Holster
• Range Masterwork

Night Watch - Scout Rifle

• Fluted Barrel/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Tactical Mag/Steady Rounds
• Rapid Hit
• Multikill Clip
• Handling Masterwork

Seventh Seraph SI-2 - Sidearm

• Hammer-Forged Rifling/Polygonal Rifling
• Steady Rounds/Alloy Magazine
• Field Prep
• Elemental Capacitor
• Range Masterwork

Jian 7 Rifle - Pulse Rifle

• Slo-10 Post/SPO-28 Front
• Armor-Piercing Rounds/Light Mag
• Firmly Planted
• Swashbuckler
• Range Masterwork

The Swarm - Machine Gun

• Corkscrew Rifling/Hammer-Forged Rifling
• Extended Mag/Flared Magwell
• Killing Wind
• One For All
• Reload Speed Masterwork

Shattered Cipher - Machine Gun

• Chambered Compensator/Polygonal Rifling
• Tactical Mag/Flared Magwell
• Auto-Loading Holster
• Unrelenting
• Stability Masterwork

Finally some good rolls this week! The Main Ingredient in particular is a delicious God roll that you should immediately pick up -- especially since fusion rifles dominate the DPS meta at the moment. The Swarm is also a pretty decent roll for boss DPS and that Reload Speed Masterwork will ensure you spend less time reloading in between volleys. Feel free to skip the others unless you need them in your collection.

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Bond

This week the Warlock Legendary Armor is both low-stat and weirdly geared towards melee play. Pretty awful. Don't buy it!

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Mark

Another set of low-stat rolls gear for melee play. I suppose you're more likely to want this than the Warlock or Hunter's rolls, but God...just don't do it.

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Ancient Apocalypse set which includes:

Ancient Apocalypse Gauntlets

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Chest Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Helmet

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Leg Armor

• 10 Mobility
• 2 Resilience
• 10 Recovery
• 2 Discipline
• 2 Intellect
• 22 Strength
• Total: 48

Ancient Apocalypse Cloak

Identical rolls all the way down for armor, straight from the collection stats...is Xur broken?

That's a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! Hope you're all enjoying your adventures in the Witch Queen's throne world. Did you get through the new raid yet? Let me know in the comments! For more on Destiny, check out some of the new weapons and gear you can find in The Witch Queen and read about how Sony's purchase of Bungie fits into its larger plans.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has been downloaded more than 20 million times barely two months after its release on January 18.

In a tweet, noticed by Nintendo Everything, Konami Europe announced that the virtual card game simulator had hit the impressive milestone, doubling the ten million downloads it achieved on February 7.

Konami is giving away 1,000 free gems to players in celebration of the achievement. Gems are the game's main currency and are used to buy new packs, decks, and accessories.

Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL has now been downloaded over 20mln times!!
As a thank you, we’re giving away 1000 gems in-game – make sure to log in to claim yours!
Thank you for playing #YuGiOhMasterDuel pic.twitter.com/H83aUOC9uY

— Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Games (KONAMI Europe) (@YuGiOhCardEU) March 11, 2022

The 20 million downloads is spread across all of Master Duel's platforms, including PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

Master Duel is the most extensive and accurate representation of the actual Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game ever released, featuring over 10,000 cards from its two-decade history.

It was first announced in July last year alongside two other new Yu-Gi-Oh! titles: Cross Duel and Rush Duel.

While it's also free, Master Duel isn't yet as popular as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links on mobile which has achieved more than 140 million downloads.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has been downloaded more than 20 million times barely two months after its release on January 18.

In a tweet, noticed by Nintendo Everything, Konami Europe announced that the virtual card game simulator had hit the impressive milestone, doubling the ten million downloads it achieved on February 7.

Konami is giving away 1,000 free gems to players in celebration of the achievement. Gems are the game's main currency and are used to buy new packs, decks, and accessories.

Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL has now been downloaded over 20mln times!!
As a thank you, we’re giving away 1000 gems in-game – make sure to log in to claim yours!
Thank you for playing #YuGiOhMasterDuel pic.twitter.com/H83aUOC9uY

— Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Games (KONAMI Europe) (@YuGiOhCardEU) March 11, 2022

The 20 million downloads is spread across all of Master Duel's platforms, including PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

Master Duel is the most extensive and accurate representation of the actual Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game ever released, featuring over 10,000 cards from its two-decade history.

It was first announced in July last year alongside two other new Yu-Gi-Oh! titles: Cross Duel and Rush Duel.

While it's also free, Master Duel isn't yet as popular as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links on mobile which has achieved more than 140 million downloads.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

Russia is reportedly easing its copyright laws to offset sanctions imposed by Western nations in response to its invasion of Ukraine – in doing so it is effectively legalizing piracy of games, movies, TV shows, and more.

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development proposed relaxing piracy legislation earlier this week to circumvent sanctions.

“The possibility of lifting restrictions on the use of intellectual property contained in certain goods, the supply of which to Russia is limited, is being considered,” said the Ministry. “This will smooth out the impact on the market of breaks in supply chains, as well as the shortage of goods and services that arose due to new sanctions by Western countries.”

According to local media in Russia (as reported by City A.M.), the government has now announced that Russian companies have no obligation to pay patent holders for the use of intellectual property, from any countries that have sanctioned the country. This has effectively legalized piracy across the nation.

State-backed newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports that new laws allow Russian firms to use innovations from unfriendly countries without paying to use their intellectual property.

When it comes to Hollywood movies, it looks as though Russian people will be free to pirate them, and Russian politician Dmitry Ionin has even suggested that the country may unblock the torrenting suite RuTracker to help Russians pirate Hollywood films.

“Since many Western studios have refused to release new films in Russia, the parliamentarian believes that thanks to the torrent tracker, users will be able to watch Hollywood films,” reports Gazetta.

Депутат Госдумы Дмитрий Ионин предложил разблокировать RuTracker

Так как многие западные студии отказались от выпуска новых кинолент в России, парламентарий считает, что благодаря торрент-трекеру пользователи смогут увидеть голливудские фильмы. pic.twitter.com/muO1VitjTO

— Газета.Ru (@GazetaRu) March 3, 2022

The move comes just days after Twitch suspended payments to Russian streamers. They have also introduced new rules to stop the spread of misinformation, allowing Twitch to take action against accounts deemed to be spreading false info – such as the video game footage being passed off as real-life war footage.

Additionally, Microsoft, Sony, and many more gaming and entertainment companies have suspended sales of games and hardware across Russia. In doing so the companies have answered a call from Ukraine's deputy prime minister, who asked "all game developers" to temporarily end support in Russia and Belarus.

We have a guide on how to help Ukrainian civilians, which includes a number of humanitarian charities that use donations to provide aid in the country.

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

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

Russia is reportedly easing its copyright laws to offset sanctions imposed by Western nations in response to its invasion of Ukraine – in doing so it is effectively legalizing piracy of games, movies, TV shows, and more.

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development proposed relaxing piracy legislation earlier this week to circumvent sanctions.

“The possibility of lifting restrictions on the use of intellectual property contained in certain goods, the supply of which to Russia is limited, is being considered,” said the Ministry. “This will smooth out the impact on the market of breaks in supply chains, as well as the shortage of goods and services that arose due to new sanctions by Western countries.”

According to local media in Russia (as reported by City A.M.), the government has now announced that Russian companies have no obligation to pay patent holders for the use of intellectual property, from any countries that have sanctioned the country. This has effectively legalized piracy across the nation.

State-backed newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports that new laws allow Russian firms to use innovations from unfriendly countries without paying to use their intellectual property.

When it comes to Hollywood movies, it looks as though Russian people will be free to pirate them, and Russian politician Dmitry Ionin has even suggested that the country may unblock the torrenting suite RuTracker to help Russians pirate Hollywood films.

“Since many Western studios have refused to release new films in Russia, the parliamentarian believes that thanks to the torrent tracker, users will be able to watch Hollywood films,” reports Gazetta.

Депутат Госдумы Дмитрий Ионин предложил разблокировать RuTracker

Так как многие западные студии отказались от выпуска новых кинолент в России, парламентарий считает, что благодаря торрент-трекеру пользователи смогут увидеть голливудские фильмы. pic.twitter.com/muO1VitjTO

— Газета.Ru (@GazetaRu) March 3, 2022

The move comes just days after Twitch suspended payments to Russian streamers. They have also introduced new rules to stop the spread of misinformation, allowing Twitch to take action against accounts deemed to be spreading false info – such as the video game footage being passed off as real-life war footage.

Additionally, Microsoft, Sony, and many more gaming and entertainment companies have suspended sales of games and hardware across Russia. In doing so the companies have answered a call from Ukraine's deputy prime minister, who asked "all game developers" to temporarily end support in Russia and Belarus.

We have a guide on how to help Ukrainian civilians, which includes a number of humanitarian charities that use donations to provide aid in the country.

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