Latest news with #RebekahValentine
Metro
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Nintendo Switch 2 owner loses 20 years' worth of save data in botched transfer
One unlucky player's Nintendo Switch 2 experience will make you cautious about transferring save data to the new console. Transferring all your data from the Nintendo Switch to your shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 console should be a simple process. Not only can it sometimes not work though, but Nintendo's confusing messaging led some to think it could only be done during the initial set-up process. That's not the case and you can easily move save data from one console to the other any time you want, either wirelessly or through the Nintendo Switch Online exclusive cloud service. Unfortunately, it's not a risk free process, as there are reports of Switch 2 owners losing whole save files while trying to transfer them. One particularly devastated owner admits to losing their Pokémon Scarlet save this way, and in the process losing 20 years' worth of progress. If you're wondering how that's possible, that's because they had been holding onto all the pokémon they owned from previous games, going as far back as the Game Boy Advance, and had transferred them into Pokémon Scarlet. In a now deleted Reddit post (per IGN), ThatOtaku26 admitted they were 'about to cry' after realising the last 20 years of pokémon they collected had just vanished into the ether. 'I just got a Switch 2, did the startup and initial data transfer with no issues. My Scarlet save file is gone. It loads straight into the language selection and create a character screens. No data on my OLED. Just all gone,' they wrote. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. It's not even clear what happened since they insist there was no error in the data transfer: 'There's nothing I can do. I don't even know if I wanna play anymore.' Other fans soon chimed in with commiserations and stories of similar incidents that happened to them in the past. 'The Pokémon save system is the s******** thing ever,' replied daoester406. 'My 6-year-old son and I lost all our save data for Scarlet, Sword, Arceus, and [Let's Go, Pikachu]. We can always start again, but man is it such a pain in the butt.' Some have suggested ThatOtaku26 contact Nintendo's customer support to try and have their data recovered, but there's no guarantee they'll be able to help. More Trending IGN's own Rebekah Valentine suffered the same problem with her Pokémon Violet save file, saying customer support 'just shrugged their shoulders' when she spoke with them. Incidents like this are perhaps the best advertisement for the Pokémon Home cloud service, which lets you store any pokémon you've acquired and transfer them between compatible games. It's really the only option fans have, since none of the Pokémon games on Switch are compatible with Nintendo's cloud save feature and thus can't be backed up online. While Nintendo's never given a formal reason as for why this is the case, the common theory is this is to prevent players from cheating by duplicating certain pokémon. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 comparison: how do Switch 1 games play on the new console? MORE: Pokémon Legends: Z-A release date announced with Switch 2 upgrades MORE: Pokémon cards saved this fan's life by blocking a gunshot
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom QA Workers Union Reaches Tentative Contract With Microsoft After Nearly Two Years
Today, over 300 unionized quality assurance workers at ZeniMax Media, who work on everything from The Elder Scrolls to Doom, have announced they have reached a tentative deal with parent company Microsoft on their first contract since forming their union two years ago. ZeniMax Workers United, which is unionized under Communications Workers of America (CWA), said the agreement includes "substantial across-the-board wage increases," minimum salaries, protections against arbitrary dismissal, grievance procedures, protections around use of artificial intelligence that could impact workers, and a crediting policy to ensure QA workers are appropriately credited in games they work on. ZeniMax Media owns publisher Bethesda Softworks and development studios Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield), id Software (Doom, Quake, and Rage), Arkane (Dishonored, Prey, and Redfall), MachineGames (Wolfenstein, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), and ZeniMax Online Studios (The Elder Scrolls Online). Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for $8.1 billion in March 2021 and operates it under the Microsoft Gaming division. 'Video games have been the revenue titan of the entire entertainment industry for years, and the workers who develop these games are too often exploited for their passion and creativity," said Jessee Leese, a member of the bargaining committee. "Organizing unions, bargaining for a contract, and speaking with one collective voice has allowed workers to take back the autonomy we all deserve. Our first contract is an invitation for video game professionals everywhere to take action. We're the ones who make these games, and we'll be the ones to set new standards for fair treatment.' ZeniMax QA workers first unionized in January of 2023, following groups at Raven Software and Blizzard Albany, after Microsoft made a public commitment to labor neutrality. However, the road to a contract has been challenging. In November of last year, workers went on a one-day strike, citing a lack of progress at the bargaining table over remote work protections and allegations that Microsoft was outsourcing QA work without bargaining with the union. Then, in April, workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, again citing concerns over remote work and low compensation. The tentative contract is contingent on ratification by the union members in a vote which is expected to be concluded by June 20. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @ Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
05-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Nintendo Switch 2 Prices? The ESA Warns Trump's Tariffs Will Reach Far Beyond That
Switch 2 There is a bit of blindness going on when it comes to the effect of Donald Trump's recent mass tariffs in the video game industry. Much of the focus has been on how it may affect the Nintendo Switch 2, which was just priced at a rather high $450 this past week, with the idea the hardware may go higher than that as a result of tariffs hitting Japan and manufacturing partners like Vietnam and Cambodia. Now, America's Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is commenting on the tariffs, and warning everyone that this is more far-reaching than a single, upcoming console. In an interview with IGN's Rebekah Valentine, the ESA's spokesperson, Aubrey Quinn, had this to say about the situation: How, specifically? It's a chain reaction. Tariffs will lower consumer spending due to high prices on essentials, which likely will reduce purchases of 'luxury' items in the gaming sphere, where prices will also be up in that sector, most likely. Then, profits go down, industry layoffs may happen (which are obviously already happening), and that means less development in the industry. Quinn says that could even affect next generation consoles outside of the Switch 2, even if they're years away. If those are suddenly much more expensive to develop and build, that may change the core of some of these systems. TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs ... More during an event in the Rose Garden (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The ESA says it's talking to the government with other consumer groups, but at this point, it's a little hard to see what impact that may have given that almost every industry is being touched in some way by these tariffs, so they're sort of just another voice yelling in the crowd. They recommend gamers reach out to their own representatives to complain about the situation. It is too early to know exactly what will happen in the industry, specifically, outside of 'bad things.' Prices have not been raised, companies have not announced significant strategic changes, but obviously it has not even been a week since these tariffs were announced, and the dust is far from settling. There was some pre-emptive action taken on the assumption tariffs would be implemented, but that created situations like Nintendo moving hardware production out of China to Vietnam and Cambodia where now both of those countries have been slapped with some of the highest tariffs of them all. It's a mess, though of course it reaches far beyond the Nintendo Switch 2. Read the full IGN interview here. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
PS Store Shovelware Problem Explained in New Report
Shovelware plaguing the PlayStation Store is a tale as old as time. Whether it's a game developed with an easy Platinum in mind, or just general garbage titles that don't benefit anyone, these types of games have been available essentially since digital storefronts became more prominent on home consoles. However, it seems the problem is getting worse, with a new report shedding some light on why hundreds of these games are flooding the . As reported by Rebekah Valentine at IGN, literally hundreds of games considered shovelware or 'slop' are not only populating the PS Store, but also being advertised on specific sections of the digital storefront. Specifically for PlayStation, the 'Games to Wishlist' section is most wrought with these types of games. So, how is it that these games are able to find a place on the store pages? It seems its a mixture of the certification process for a specific platform (in this case, PlayStation), and developer's tricking the system. In an even more general sense than described in the article, a developer will pitch to Sony who they are and what they want to release on the storefront. If approved, this would give them access to development backend portals, and devkits. Then a form is filled out describing the game. PlayStation will then begin its certification process where it checks if the build fits platform requirements, both technically and to make sure no laws are being broken. If it passes, it could be released on the storefront. According to the report, this process is fairly similar for all platform holders. One primary way they differ, however, is how they vet applications. Microsoft vets on a game-by-game basis, while Sony vets on a developer or publisher basis. This means once the developer or publisher has been approved once, the process of getting a game onto the PS Store is much easier, possibly leading the developer to pump out loads of games into the storefront within a small time frame. In turn, this could result in shovelware flooding sales, new releases, and recommendation pages. 'On all consoles, you get the opportunity to get featured, but you're also on these automatic lists,' said a developer. 'If people are just pumping crap into the system, you get pushed down the list. Any list. The systems are being overwhelmed and you're going to get pushed out of there. I've been working on my game for six years, someone else has been working on their game for six months and makes a dozen copies of it…it's just crushing.' It is currently unclear if Sony plans to take action on this shovelware issue. In the past, it was reported that the PS Store's easy platinum games like Press X for Trophies were banned. So, while action isn't being taken right now, there is a possibility Sony may do so in the future. (Source: IGN) The post PS Store Shovelware Problem Explained in New Report appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
