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Throne and Liberty’s abbreviated August update adds Snowsoul Weapons and new achievements in Nix
Throne and Liberty's latest August update introduces Snowsoul Weapons, a new tier of equipment above Ascended Archboss Weapons, and new achievements within the Nix region. While the major Colossus Vegamor update has been delayed to September due to Amazon's publishing arm restructuring, this interim patch also removes some older Nix achievements as it modifies the area's mechanics.
Here's How You Can Already Save $5 on Your GTA 6 Preorder
Amazon is offering a $5 discount on preorders for the Grand Theft Auto 6 Ultimate Edition. This deal allows customers to save on the upcoming title before its release.
"Somebody will make the Half-Life 2 of AI" - after the Rideshare controversy, Saber CCO says something will come along and "change people's minds" about gen-AI
Saber Interactive's Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits believes a groundbreaking game akin to "Half-Life 2 of AI" will emerge, changing public perception of generative AI in gaming. Despite recent controversy surrounding its use in "Rideshare Stimulator," Saber is experimenting with AI, with Willits emphasizing the need for innovation and the potential for AI to create new experiences, drawing parallels to the initial skepticism surrounding Steam.
Netflix survived the GTA 6: An Extended Look, but Twitch did not
Twitch experienced significant outages coinciding with the release of the Grand Theft Auto 6 Extended Look trailer, while Netflix remained unaffected. The streaming platform acknowledged the issues and stated teams were working on a resolution, with services intermittently returning after approximately 30 minutes. The outage impacted Twitch's ability to host popular streams of the highly anticipated trailer, potentially benefiting services like Netflix.
YouTubers can now include affiliate links to Amazon in their content.
Amazon has joined YouTube Shopping's affiliate program, allowing YouTubers to include affiliate links to the retailer's products directly within their content. This integration aims to provide creators with new monetization opportunities.
Report: Amazon’s James Bond Search Has Narrowed to Six Actors
Amazon has reportedly narrowed down its search for the next James Bond actor to six candidates, with Jack Barton reportedly leading the pack. Screen tests are expected to begin in September for the role, which has been vacant since Daniel Craig's departure. Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct the film, tentatively titled Bond 26.
Lost Ark has begun its final Amazon merge down to just five total servers today
Lost Ark is undergoing a significant server consolidation, reducing its global player base to just five servers. This process, managed by Amazon before the game's publishing rights return to developer Smilegate, began today and could take up to 24 hours. Compensation will be provided to players after the merges are successfully completed.
Amazon raises prices on hardware products like Kindles & Fire TV by as much as 60%
Amazon has increased prices on several hardware products, including Kindle, Fire TV, and Echo Dot, by up to 60%. The company cited ongoing memory component shortages as the primary reason for the price hikes. This move comes as Amazon invests heavily in artificial intelligence, which may be contributing to increased demand and costs for memory components.
The Lord Of The Rings Extended Trilogy Is Massively Discounted Just After Surprise Game Re-Release
Amazon is offering a significant discount on the digital extended edition trilogy of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, reducing the price from $45 to $15. This sale follows a recent re-release of the game The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. The article also touches on upcoming Lord of the Rings movies and games, noting mixed reception for recent titles like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
Twitch and Amazon face class-action lawsuit over its automatic opt-in of gen AI training
Twitch and Amazon are facing a class-action lawsuit over their automatic opt-in policy for generative AI training. Streamer Warren Pandiscia alleges that both companies unlawfully copied millions of videos to develop AI models without proper consent, violating creator agreements and unfair competition laws.
Redditor sent empty box instead of Ryzen 5 9600X from Amazon... twice
A Reddit user reported receiving an empty box twice after ordering an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X CPU from a third-party seller on Amazon. The user, who records unboxing videos, provided evidence of the empty packages, highlighting risks associated with online shopping and third-party sellers.
Clutch Picks Up a Publisher as Maverick Games Partners with Focus Entertainment
Focus Entertainment has announced a major publishing partnership with independent racing studio Maverick Games for its upcoming project, Clutch. This deal comes after Amazon withdrew its backing earlier this year, securing a publisher for the new racing title.
Evening Reading - August 24, 2026
This edition of Shacknews Evening Reading covers various gaming news including Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Marvel Snap's Draft mode, The Witcher 4 targeting a 2028 release, and a class-action lawsuit against Twitch. It also mentions new games like Blasterbug: Last Bug Standing and Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, as well as updates for Elden Ring and The Duskbloods.
Netflix reportedly explored letting Peacock and Fox One live inside its app
Netflix has reportedly explored integrating competitors Peacock and Fox One within its own app, a significant departure from its long-standing closed ecosystem. Discussions involve either selling subscriptions to these services or blending their content into Netflix's library. This move follows a successful pilot program in France where Netflix integrated local broadcaster TF1's content.
Class-action lawsuit filed against Twitch over Amazon AI training
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Twitch by content creators, alleging the platform unlawfully used user content to train Amazon's AI models without consent or notification. The lawsuit, filed by Warren Pandiscia, claims Amazon had a significant incentive to acquire data on an unprecedented scale for its AI products. Twitch's Chief Product Officer, Mike Minton, admitted uncertainty about whether Amazon had used VODs for training prior to the introduction of an opt-out setting.
Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Bundle Gets a Surprise 15% Discount on Amazon
Amazon is offering a surprise 15% discount on the Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes bundle. This deal allows customers to purchase the bundle, which includes promo cards and booster packs, at a reduced price.
Twitch hit with class-action lawsuit over Amazon AI training: 'Twitch sent no email, displayed no pop-up…
Twitch is facing a class-action lawsuit from user Warren Pandiscia, who alleges that Amazon, Twitch's parent company, used Twitch stream content to train its generative AI without proper consent or notification. The lawsuit claims this practice is unlawful and an attack on content creators, as the data collection was opt-out and consent depended on host streamer settings. The article notes that Twitch sent no email or pop-up notification about the feature, which was discovered by a reporter.
Twitch served with class action lawsuit for training AI using streamers’ content
Twitch is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly using streamers' content to train Amazon's AI models without consent. The suit claims this practice violates California unfair competition law. Twitch recently introduced an opt-out feature for AI training, but it is not retroactive and only applies to the specific channel.
Twitch and Amazon hit with lawsuit for training AI with streamers' content
Twitch and its parent company Amazon are facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly training AI models using content from Twitch streamers without their consent. The suit claims that streamers' intellectual property was used without proper authorization.
Twitch faces a class action lawsuit over using streamers' content to train Amazon's AI
Twitch and its parent company Amazon are facing a proposed class action lawsuit from streamer Warren Pandiscia, who alleges his content was used to train generative AI models without consent or payment. This follows Twitch's recent announcement of AI training features, which have been met with community backlash due to their opt-out rather than opt-in nature. Separately, an analyst suggests that Epic Games Store's efforts to compete with Steam may be too late, despite ongoing improvements to its storefront and the continued success of Fortnite.
