Microsoft is joining Facebook, YouTube and others in limiting the reach of Russian state media following the invasion of Ukraine. The company is responding to the European Union’s ban on RT and Sputnik by pulling those outlets from its platforms. Microsoft Start (including MSN) won’t display state-sponsored RT and Sputnik content, while all ads from either publication are banned across Microsoft’s ad network. The software giant is also pulling RT’s news apps from the Windows app store.

Bing will still display RT and Sputnik links. However, Microsoft is “further de-ranking” their search results to make sure the links only appear when someone clearly intends to visit those sites.

The crackdown comes alongside an update on Microsoft’s cybersecurity monitoring in Ukraine. The company noted that its Threat Intelligence Center spotted a wave of “offensive and destructive” cyberattacks targeting Ukranian online infrastructure just hours before Russia began its invasion on February 24th. The digital assault included new malware, nicknamed FoxBlade, and was “precisely targeted” like previous attacks. Microsoft said its Defender anti-malware tools was updated to counter FoxBlade within three hours of the discovery, and that it was advising the Ukranian government on this and other defense initiatives.

The bans on RT and Sputnik aren’t surprising even without the EU’s measures in place. Microsoft has fought disinformation campaigns for years, and it stressed that these attempts to manipulate the public are “commonplace” during wars when state propaganda ramps up. Simply speaking, Microsoft sees this as necessary to both present an objective view of the invasion and to avoid funding misinformation efforts.

Source: Engadget – Microsoft is the latest to ban Russian state media from its platforms

Sony’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Twisted Metal has found a home. NBCUniversal announced on Monday it will stream the series on Peacock. News that Sony’s PlayStation Productions unit was developing an adaptation of the Twisted Metal franchise came at the start of last year.

In September, we learned Altered Carbon and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie would play the role of series protagonist John Doe, a smart-talking milkman with no memory of his past but a penchant for driving as fast as he talks. PlayStation Productions is billing the show as an action-comedy, with Cobra Kai scribe Michael Jonathan Smith serving as showrunner, writer and executive producer on the show.

NBCUniversal didn’t say when Twisted Metal would premiere on Peacock. However, the show is just one of several properties Sony is in the process of adapting for television and film. It’s also working on a Ghost of Tsushima movie that John Wick’s Chad Stahelski will direct, and then there’s The Last of Us. HBO Programming President Casey Bloys recently told The Hollywood Reporter the series wouldn’t premiere in 2022.

Source: Engadget – Sony’s Twisted Metal TV series is headed to Peacock

Although it’s one of the most important franchises for the fighting game crowd, Super Smash Bros. won’t make an appearance at the community’s biggest event of the year. “Since 2007, we’ve seen historic Super Smash Bros. moments created at Evo’s events,” Evo, which Sony bought last year, said. “We are saddened that Nintendo has chosen not to continue that legacy with us this year.”

Evo 2022 will be the first full edition of the event since 2019, which featured a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament in place of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The 2020 event was canceled following accusations of abuse that were leveled against Evo co-founder and then-CEO Joey Cuellar. Evo 2021 took place as an online-only affair due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evo has a long history with the Super Smash Bros. series. Super Smash Bros. Melee, in particular, was a popular part of the event for several years. As Kotaku notes, Nintendo (which tries to control how other organizations use its games) failed in its attempt to prevent Evo organizers from livestreaming the 2013 Melee tournament. Melee was added to that year’s event following a charity drive.

This doesn’t exactly mean the end of Nintendo-backed Super Smash Bros. esports, though. In November, Nintendo and Panda Global announced plans to run their own competitive Smash series. The company also has a partnership with PlayVS, which runs Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 2 high school varsity esports leagues.

As for what games will actually be present at Evo 2022, we won’t need to wait long to find out. Evo will host a Twitch livestream on March 8th to reveal more details about this year’s event, which will take place in Las Vegas in August.

Source: Engadget – Nintendo pulls Super Smash Bros. from the Evo 2022 esports tournament