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Pokemon Sword and Shield Adding A Big Quality-Of-Life Enhancement

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Pokemon Sword and Shield are adding a new item called Ability Patch which allows normal Pokemon to have Hidden Abilities. The game will finally allow players to give normal Pokemon a chance to have a Hidden Ability in the forthcoming Crown Tundra expansion. This will be a big improvement in the game’s quality-of-life which will make battles more competitive than before.

In context, the competitive battles in Pokemon Sword and Shield demands players to utilize every feature of their Pokemon. One of the most critical attributes is a Pokemon’s Ability – a passive skill that differs from Pokemon to Pokemon.

Some Pokemon have Hidden Abilities that are usually more useful than their default Abilities. Sadly, Pokemon Go trainers don’t have the power to choose a Pokemon with a Hidden Ability until the luckily encounter one in the wild or until the game chooses to make them available in exclusive events which usually are very rare.

The Crown Tundra expansion will introduce a new item called Ability Patch which can alter a Pokemon’s Ability and turn it to a Hidden Ability. Players who love the rare Shiny Pokemon will especially benefit from this new feature.

If a player breeds a Shiny Pokemon that doesn’t have the Hidden Ability, they can simply give them the Ability Patch. With the upcoming Ability Patch and the recently added Ability Capsule  – which allows Pokemon with two regular Abilities switch between them – players will have uncontrollable power over the Abilities that their Pokemon have.

However, Pokemon Go’s official website revealed that this new item will be very difficult to get. Getting the item might be similar to the Max Soup from the Isle of Armor expansion. Players will need to grind for Max Mushrooms and cook it to become Max Soup which immediately allows compatible Pokemon to access their Gigantamax form. If getting Ability Patches will work in the same way, players will need to grind hard and be patient since it will take hours to get the item they need.

This new item will continue one of the best enhancements in Pokemon Sword and Shield since it provides players a way to prepare any Pokemon battle-ready quickly. Players will be able to bring any Pokemon to their maximum potential via Hyper Training, Poke Jobs, Max Soups, and the new addition – Ability Patch.

Some fans are criticizing the addition of the new item as a way to force people to buy the expansion. However, it still unknown if players who don’t have the Crown Tundra DLC can still obtain Ability Patches.

Given that Pokemon Sword and Shield will be relaunched in November with both expansions included, this could be a sales pitch as well. Regardless, Pokemon enthusiasts will now have to spend lesser time stressing about obtaining a Pokemon’s correct abilities once the Crown Tundra expansion releases.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are exclusively available on the Nintendo Switch while the second DLC for the game – The Crown Tundra – will be released on October 22, 2020.

Pokemon Go: All features and bonuses during the Niantic Anniversary Event

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Pokemon Go players can now prepare for the upcoming 5th-anniversary celebration event of Niantic in the mobile game. Here are the dates, bonuses, exclusive features coming to Pokemon Go.

The summer events in Pokemon Go might be over but this doesn’t mean that things will be slowing down in the mobile AR game. The holiday events running from before Halloween all the way after the New Year keeps fans busy even as the weather gets colder. However, the festivities are starting earlier this year because of shorter events throughout the last days of September until the start of October.

With the events celebrating Fashion Week already underway, most players are now busy hunting shiny Pokemon and exclusive hats. The hype continues to heighten this weekend as another set of exclusive events become live in celebration of Niantic’s 5th anniversary in Pokemon Go.

Even though the Niantic anniversary events are not as exciting as the yearly Pokemon Go anniversary celebrations that happen during the summer, it is still a fairly worthwhile event with a few decent freebies.  The Timed Research allows players the opportunity to get a few helpful items like Egg Incubators, TMs, and other bonuses such as additional XP for players who are still on the journey to the endgame.

Date and Time

Niantic’s Anniversary event starts on October 4, 2020, Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM on your local time.

Timed Research Rewards

    • 1x Star Piece
    • 1x Charged TM
    • 1x Fast TM
    • 1x Lucky Egg
    • 1x Egg Incubator
    • 1x Incense

Event Bonuses

Team Rocket Balloons will be appearing throughout the event.

    • ½ Egg hatch distance
    • 2x Hatch XP
    • 2x Catch XP
    • 2x Star Piece duration
    • 2x Lucky Egg duration

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Special Anniversary Box Price and Content

There will be a 1 PokeCoin exclusive anniversary box that will be available in the in-game shop starting October 3 until October 5, 2020. This box will contain 30 Ultra Balls.

The full information for all of the challenges and rewards players can get from the Timed Research event will soon be revealed which will offer a better look at how rewarding this event will be for Pokemon Go fans who are not interested in additional XP bonuses.

It will be intriguing to observe what will happen in the storyline and see what it has to offer to a community that is already in the endgame. Hopefully, the developers are preparing for more surprising events along the way.

For now, Pokemon Go players should be able to continue playing from their homes and continue capturing the newly released Unova Pokemon in the game and get closer to completing their Pokedex.

Developer Giant Squid’s The Pathless Game Confirmed as PlayStation 5 Launch Title

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The Pathless is now confirmed to launch alongside Sony’s next-gen consoles on November 12, 2020, as well as the PlayStation 4 simultaneously.

Sony’s PlayStation 5 has a new launch title called The Pathless from Abzu developer, Giant Squid. Launch titles have been a controversial topic when it comes to the next-gen consoles, with the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 missing in that regard.

Their respective lineups were once full of launch titles, but this year has been problematic causing multiple delays thanks to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. From Halo Infinite for the Xbox Series X to Deathloop for PlayStation 5, the next-gen console’s 2020 game roster has been wrecked with Halo Infinite releasing sometime next year and Deathloop by the second quarter of 2021.

However, PlayStation 5 still has Godfall as a launch title on November 12. Other third-party titles will also be launching on the next-gen consoles during their respective release dates including Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Stacking up the PlayStation 5’s release lineup, developer Giant Squid revealed via the official PlayStation website that The Pathless will be a launch title for the PlayStation 5. The game will also be released on the PlayStation 4 on the same day.

Giant Squid also announced more information about the game such as the significance of exploring its open-world environment to look for secrets and hidden puzzles. The Pathless literally will have no map which means the developers are focusing on creating each location as memorable as possible to help players maneuver their way around the game’s world.

Players will also hear voices of past explorers as they travel around the sceneries and buildings. Check out the trailer released by Annapurna Interactive – The Pathless’ publishers – on their official YouTube account.

The dependence on maps in open-word titles has been an important asset in maneuvering their expansive environments. Grand Theft Auto games also feature both a mini and large map as well as a GPS to provide players a visible path to get to their target locations.

Even Ghost of Tsushima had a map and some kind of in-game navigation assistant including following the flow of the wind. While exploration is a critical aspect of all open-world games, maps have singlehandedly created a totally new immersive experience which has made these titles really enjoyable for most players.

The Pathless not having a map is an intriguing prospect that will test a player’s sense of direction and compel them to utilize their memory to maneuver the massive realm. Ideally, this difficult challenge could aid the game in making a better impression than it would’ve had otherwise, by forcing players to focus on their surroundings instead of just looking a map of it.

If this is correctly done, it could make the game even closer to reality and maybe even get players used to maneuvering without a GPS too.

Team Fortress 2 receives massive player surge after new update

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Team Fortress 2 has released a new spooky theme with its recent update – Scream Fortress 12. After thirteen years since it was first launched, the game still gets incredible traffic from fans.

While Scream Fortress 12 is not really an exclusive event, players from across the world were still hyped with the new update. Team Fortress 2 recently got its biggest concurrent player record ever since it was first launched in 2007. The new update is proof that the game can still provide exciting content that fans love to play again and again.

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Team Fortress 2 is one of the games that fans keep visiting back when they have nothing else new to play. Similar to Runescape, no fan stops playing the game but only hibernate. Now, fans are rushing back to Team Fortress 2 to check out the new update.

Scream Fortress 12 is actually not a big event but during these days, any Team Fortress update is monumental. The new event adds four new community maps, improvements to localization files, and the Wicked Windfall case.

Some of the new community maps added include Moldergrove and Megalo maps for King of the Hill mode and Payload mode maps such as Bloodwater and Hassle Castle. Players will also be able to receive rewards like Halloween hats, effects, taunts, and war paints.

Once players log in to the game, they will immediately receive a Soul Gargoyle. There will be new contracts available that players can bring in the community maps too.

Along with the Halloween update, new Manpower content will also be added to the game. It contains a new map and a few gameplay tweaks to the game mode which is something significant for loyal fans of the game.

New concurrent player record

Team Fortress 2 had a constant decrease in players over the previous years. But now, the new Halloween event called back fans and newcomers alike. A recent report shows that the game previously recorded its biggest concurrent player count of all time with more than 130,000 players logged in at the same time. The milestone happened just a few hours after the new update and event were released.

While it’s hard to think that all of them are human, some of them are actually bots. Finding bots in Team Fortress 2 is not something new since the developers have been dealing with them for a long time now.

Since April, the game has been plagued with bots promoting racial criticism. The developers had to step in and update the game to stop the bots but it wasn’t enough to totally avoid them. Farmer bots can still be seen in the game to finish quests, get crates and sell hats for 3 cents.

The Halloween update was just released yesterday so the developers still have a lot of time to stop these bots. Even then, Team Fortress 2 has a history of reoccurring bot problems which gave most fans a reason to stay out of the game for good.

All new content and features coming to Fall Guys Season 2

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Fall Guys Season 2 is scheduled to launch later this month. The developers even revealed several new features and content for the upcoming update.

DevolverDigital has officially revealed the launch date for Fall Guys Season 2. The medieval-inspired season will soon be available on select consoles on October 8, 2020. Players are already excited to play the new things added to the game.

Here’s a rundown of what’s been confirmed for Fall Guys Season 2.

Cosmetics and Customization

The developers have added an array of new cosmetics that have a medieval theme. According to the newly released trailer, some of the new skins coming to the game include a peasant, wizard, dark knight, knight, and dragon.

Aside from these, there will be new customization options in the form of new faces, emotes, and patterns. The development team also confirmed that nicknames and banners will also be added for Season 2.

New Levels

Perhaps the biggest and most awaited additions to Fall Guys Season 2 are the new levels. Similar to the new skins and customization options, the new levels will also be medieval themed.  The teaser trailer featured what looks like levels full of obstacles like swinging guillotines and ramparts.

A lot of the new levels also feature a one-of-a-kind theme that has never been in any of the previous stages in the game. The new levels will not be taking over the game completely. Instead, the new levels will be included in the original one. There will be several other ways to enjoy the game once the new levels are released.

According to the devs, the sneak peeks only show a few of the new levels and they are already a lot more complicated than the ones in season 1. Season 2 levels will now include movable elements that players can drag into the correct position in order to finish the objectives. Of course, since this is a battle royale, players will be competing with several other players before they can get something in the right place.

However, fans are still expecting that there will be more additional final round levels for Fall Guys Season 2.

Additional Rewards

The Fall Guys development team has answered the call of players asking for more rewards from the battle pass. A few days ago, they have confirmed that players who will avail the improved battle pass will receive 600% more crowns compared to the original battle pass.

They also said that they will also be adding new additional rewards to the subscription since fans are asking more bonuses as well instead of just getting crowns.

According to the developers, Fall Guys Season 1 will end as soon as the second season is released and for a short period after the switching of seasons, they are giving players double fame points for playing.

Fall Guys Season 2 is considered the most awaited update for a battle royale game this year. The game is still one of the most famous battle royale games to date and hopefully, the development team will continue to add new and exciting updates for Fall Guys.

Pokemon Go Set To Add Gen 5 Pokemon Next Week

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A new autumn update for Pokemon Go will make Berries more effective as well as a new Pokemon from the Black and White main games will also be introduced. Fans of the fifth Pokemon generation coming from the Black and white main games have a lot to enjoy on Pokemon Go as of the moment.

Since last year, more Pokemon from the Unova region is slowly being introduced to the game such as the Mythical Pokemon Victini recently added for a free Special Research quest. Now, developer Niantic has revealed that as part of a forthcoming autumn-inspired update running from October 9 to October 12, another unique Pokemon called Deerling will be making its debut in the game.

Deerling has a peculiar Normal/Grass typing but what makes this Pokemon unique is that it has four unique forms. In the main games, the form it would take depends on the in-game season and its form can also be carried over to its next evolution – Sawbuck.

For Pokemon Go’s case, players will get Deerling in its Autumn form where its furs have an orange color. Niantic hasn’t announced if its other forms will be included as the seasons’ change but fans can expect it to happen in the near future.

Aside from this, the main new improvement of the update is that Berries will become more efficient during the event. Berries will be twice as effective when given as gifts to Buddy Pokemon. Pinap Berries used on Pokemon players are trying to catch will give them twice as much Candy than the usual. Berries will also drop more often when spinning at a Gym and PokeStop.

Players will also encounter a few certain Pokemon during the event including Burmy in Plant Cloak form, Foonguss, Shroomish,  Seedot, Zigzagoon, Pineco, Yanma, Sudowoodo, Hoothoot, Bayleef, Vulpix, and Oddish. Lucky players can even encounter a Shiny Vulpix and autumn-inspired Pokemon will be spawning from 5km eggs.

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Even though these new additions are great for fans, developer Niantic is receiving a lot of complaints about taking back some adjustments it made to Pokemon Go to cater to the current coronavirus situation. Despite the pandemic still ongoing, the developers have decided to roll back these changes which mean players who are still stuck at home won’t be able to fully enjoy the game’s features.

It has also been revealed that players will need to use PokeCoins in order to avoid a cooldown period when transferring Pokemon from Pokemon Go to Pokemon Sword and Shield via the utilization of Pokemon Home.

In related news, a new teaser for the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield Crown Tundra expansion has been released which confirms several upcoming contents and its October 22 release date.

Ubisoft Promises Fix for Hyper Scape Season 2’s Major Problems

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Ubisoft is preparing for Hyper Scape’s Season 2 by attempting to repair the game’s multiple issues that players have been clamoring about since the release of the game. The free-to-play first-person shooter battle royale game was launched during this summer and has received mixed reviews.

Hyper Scape is Ubisoft’s entry into the free-to-play battle royale genre has initially gone well with its debut for the PC. Despite this, the game didn’t perform well on consoles because of players across all platforms complaining about various problems, most of which is about balance. Fortunately, the developers seem to have been listening to players’ concerns and are trying to fix them before releasing the game’s second season.

A few days ago, Ubisoft released an exhaustive list of all the improvements they will be implementing for the game’s season 2. According to player feedback, the developers decided to focus on five particular elements – game modes, player goals, combat comfort, crossplay, and onboarding. For the devs to implement these improvements to their maximum potential, Ubisoft is reorganizing itself into a cell-based format resembling the Rainbow Six Siege development team.

Every cell will be purely focused on one of the five elements of gameplay being targeted for season 2. To exhibit some of the major improvements and to show a few new weapons and skins, the developers unveiled a new gameplay trailer next to this announcement.

Most of the changes shown in the trailer imply that Ubisoft looks like it has put in a lot of effort in Hyper Scape and wants it to become more successful and last for years. While their target seems to focus more on gameplay balance, it is obvious that they want to diversify its content and set long term goals for their players.

Their overall goal is to attract new players to the game, allow them to grow skill-wise, and keep them invested by providing new challenges, weapons, items, and updates. The development team should be commended for trying to make Hyper Scape the great game it’s supposed to be.

The communication between player and developer has been the best its ever been and its nice to see a company listen to complaints and put them into consideration, especially since Hyper Scape is a free-to-play game.

Not only are the biggest problems of the game being addressed, but it also looks like the devs are taking their jobs seriously by creating a new development plan taken after the extremely successful Rainbow Six Siege. It should also be reassuring for the Ubisoft development team to know that most of the problems seem to be coming from gameplay balance instead of technical issues.

This means that even the players clamoring about the game enjoy it to some degree and want to see it grow. Despite having a rough start, there seems to be a great relationship forming between the Hyper Scape developers and the players implying that this game could become a lasting and triumphant game for Ubisoft if they are able to recover from its early issues.

Nintendo Wins $2M Lawsuit Vs Switch Hackers

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Nintendo is now in the last stages of a legal battle against Ubercips – a Switch hack retailer. The Japanese gaming giant will reportedly receive $2 million in a payout.

Nintendo won the lawsuit it has filed against a website selling hacks for the Nintendo Switch and will be rewarded at least $2 million in damages. This is the most recent entry in Nintendo’s long history of suing hackers of their current-gen console.

Piracy is a never-ending problem for all gaming companies that they are trying to deal with. When a new console is launched, hackers are usually fast in finding ways of pirating its software. These hackers then sell this valuable information in hopes of escaping legal consequences. Nintendo is trying its best to deal with these hackers for years now and the Nintendo Switch‘s safety is their latest endeavor.

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A report from Gamasutra states that Nintendo is moving towards the end of a lawsuit filed against a seller called Uberchips which was allegedly selling a hack that allows people pirate games for the Nintendo Switch.

The suggested final agreement will reward Nintendo at least $2 million as well as a permanent mandate forcing the retailer to destroy all files, physical or digital, that infringes any copyrights of Nintendo. Uberchips will also be prevented to sell these and other similar products in the future. While it has been reported that both companies have already agreed on these terms, the settlement hasn’t been signed by a judge yet.

As of writing, Nintendo is still involved in eight other lawsuits against similar sellers which are all members of Team-Xecuter, a hacker group that has been around the scene since the early 1990s. Uberchips is the only operator from the hacker group that Nintendo knew of which is why they were able to succeed with the lawsuit.

However, the other eight websites are suspected to be running from outside the country which makes it difficult for Nintendo to trace them. While it is comprehensible that a company wants to earn profit from the things they already spent millions to make, there comes a point when a product really belongs to the consumer. Nintendo has always been a specifically contentious company, popular for putting down fan projects as well as hackers.

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However, a line has to be drawn when it comes to enabling piracy. For the case of hacked consoles, players should be allowed to make adjustments to the hardware and software as long as it doesn’t allow them to access things they did not pay for including the games.

With digital versions of games now the new normal, pirated games become much easier to find which means lawsuits like this will continue to come. For all the possibilities, it is expected that there will be an increase in cases identical to the one between Uberchips and Nintendo.

Looking forward, it will be intriguing to see how the law will adapt and be interpreted when it comes to hackers especially now that a new console has been confirmed by Nintendo that is coming anytime next year.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered: Advantage and Disadvantages

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Developer Insomniac Games revealed that they still have a lot of plans for the upcoming remaster for the 2018 Marvel’s Spider-Man. However, not all fans are happy with the new features of the remaster.

Insomniac Games recently revealed that they are working on a Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered edition for the PlayStation 5. Most fans are divided about the game’s noticeable changes since there are a few advantages and disadvantages to them.

Let’s look at the good and bad things that fans have been clamoring about the upcoming Spider-Man remaster.

Advantages

The most significant adjustment made in the game is the visuals. Aside from integrating ray tracing and better light effects, the game received a lot of performance and graphics improvements. With all these changes combined, the developers guarantee that the game’s already deeply engaging experience will even be better than before.

Since the game will be released on Sony’s next-gen console, fans recommending that the developers should add new features to cater to the much-improved DualSense controllers. The enhanced DualSense controllers are guaranteed to upgrade a player’s gaming experience by incorporating haptic feedback and other new features.

Looking at how the controller will react to the characters’ movements will aid in making a new immersive experience. Marvel fans who haven’t got the chance to play the original should grab one since there will also be a lot of new things to explore.

Disadvantages

If there is something fans hate about the Marvel’s Spider-Man remastered edition, it’s that the look for Peter Parker has been altered. Bryan Intihar of Insomniac Games revealed that the change in casting was inevitable to make the game more realistic.

The developers shifted in an image of John Bubniak to Ben Jordan as the new face of Spider-Man in the original game. However, most fans are disappointed with the new look.

The most significant change regarding the casting is that the hero will look a lot younger compared to the original. Some players are confused about why his new looks now seem to resemble the same age as Miles Morales. However, in the story, Peter Parker should now be and old veteran protector of the city of New York.

Since the entry of the Spider-man franchise in the movie industry, the hero has been represented by multiple actors. It started with Tobey Maguire who played the role of the web-slinging hero in the first Spider-Man trilogy and was followed by Andrew Garfield and the most recent, Tom Holland who reprised the role as teenage Spider-Man. They were all well-received by fans but this is not the case for John Bubniak since he became the very image of Spider-Man in the video game industry, at least in the PlayStation 4.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is exemplary in terms of visuals and performance. However, the new look for Peter Parker is obviously not popular for fans of the game. While it will still be giving the same experience, fans still prefer the original Peter Parker’s look over the improved one.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Rockstar Energy are Giving Players a Chance to Win a Custom Mustang Car

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CD Projekt Red collaborated with Rockstar Energy last month to manufacture a real-life product of Cyberpunk 2077’s energy drink called Samurai Cola. Now that the hype towards the game has been steadily increasing, CD Projekt Red and Rockstar have once again teamed up.

This time around, the two companies have worked together to give players a chance to win a custom Cyberpunk 2077-themed 1970 Ford Mustang that is meant to help promote the game.

It’s quite common for brands and gaming companies to collaborate with one another in the video game industry. However, what makes this partnership more unique than the rest is the fact that they’ll be giving away a real-world car.

The bright-yellow Ford Mustang in question is heavily inspired by the design of Cyberpunk 2077’s Quadra Turbo R, which is an in-game vehicle that the game’s protagonist, V, drives in numerous trailers and demos.

Recently, CD Projekt Red released a few pictures of the 1970 custom Mustang and it pretty much looks like the in-game version of the 1970s-era muscle cars.

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Based on the released screenshots, the car has a Quadra logo that comes in red lettering. You can find it on the grill of the Mustang, while the hood features the logo of Rockstar Energy.

If you want to try your hand at winning the Ford Mustang, you first have to buy drinks from Rockstar Energy. Each of the cans will come with a code and each code will count as one entry. Once you have the code, you can then enter it on Rockstar Energy’s website for a chance to win the vehicle.

At the moment, the custom car is the latest real-world product related to Cyberpunk 2077. Although last week, there have been leaked images that showcase a limited edition pair of Adidas shoes that have Cyberpunk 2077 designs.

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The collaboration brings with it several rewards that fans can win by entering the codes, however, the custom Mustang is the top prize. Among other prizes, you will find hoodies that have a Cyberpunk 2077 theme, as well as gaming headphones, Microsoft gift cards, and exclusive digital comics.

The Cyberpunk 2077 comics were written by Bartosz Sztybor while Giannis Milonogiannis illustrated them. Although you shouldn’t confuse this with the Trauma Team series that was announced previously.

The comic series is entitled “Where’s Johnny?” and it contains three issues that narrate the story of Johnny Silverhand. By the way, this character will be voiced by Keanu Reeves, which we think is super cool.

Based on what we can see in the trailers, cars will have a major role in the upcoming cyberpunk game. Not only will these vehicles allow the protagonist to conveniently traverse the streets of Night City, but they are also fundamental to the Nomads, one of the gangs you’ll encounter in Cyberpunk 2077.

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Although giving players a chance to win a real-world car is not only surprising and unique, but it also makes sense as a promotional marketing move for Cyberpunk 2077, given what we know about the game.

That being said, the custom Mustang giveaway will continue even after Cyberpunk 2077’s release date. On the website, Rockstar informs interested individuals of the giveaway’s remaining days through a countdown timer, which you can easily see as it is situated right in the middle of the site.

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