As if CD Projekt Red needed any more problems on their plate that weren't of their own creation, it seems that the hackers who recently infiltrated the company's infrastructure have turned out a profit on sensitive data. After source code for CD Projekt Red's Red Engine, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Gwent were stolen from the company's servers, the company announced they had gone to the relevant authorities, and that they wouldn't negotiate with the data terrorists. Now, according to Cybersecurity company Kela, the hackers have de-listed their auction for the data - after requiring a starting bid of $1 million, and expecting $7 million for the entire package.

The deal apparently went through, with a condition that bars the hackers from re-selling the data to any other parties. It remains to be seen whether or not the thieves will abide by their word and the conditions reportedly set upon the sale. Of course, it is in the realm of possibility that CD Projekt Red themselves acquired the data anonymously so as to protect their corporate and technology interests - one can only imagine the repercussions of the company's efforts being exposed this way. And despite any ill sentiment that can be levied at the company for the state of Cyberpunk 2077's last-gen versions, I'd say that respect for the company's developers and team should have us all on their side on this one.

As lootboxes have increasingly fallen on the radar of gamers looking for complete experiences that they don't need to invest a kidney to unlock the full content that's being "offered", the ESRB has moved to include a label on all future game releases that features in-game purchases of any kind. The new label will sit next to the age rating, but separate from the other content warning labels - such as graphical violence, nudity, and others. Its aim? To keep users "well-informed" on the content purchases that are included with the full game. Strangely, the label will not discriminate different types of content - so a game that has a dreaded lootbox system such as Star Wars: Battlefront II, or a well-implemented, non-obtrusive one such as Gwent, will see exactly the same label. As the ESRB puts it, any in-game transaction may live inside this label, such as "bonus levels, skins, surprise items (such as item packs, loot boxes, mystery awards), music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades (e.g., to disable ads)". Talk about an informed customer decision.

Gwent was a runaway success for CD Projekt Red. Embedded in The Witcher III - Wild Hunt, Gwent stands as an inception of sorts of a deep, strategical game within a deep, satisfying single player experience. And it was so successful, in fact, that the company decided to spin it off into a separate, standalone game that has been widely accepted as well.

The standalone Gwent differs from the version implemented in The Witcher III in a great many ways, as was to be expected for a competitive card game as opposed to the satisfying time killer it was in The Witcher III. And one thing lacking in the game was an alternate mode that allowed players to compete in other environments other than a Constructed format. Gwent's Seasons are typically a race to the top for the best prizes, but it can become a slog for players reaching the top ranks as deck diversity is reduced to a couple of high-power behemoths in the hand of extremely skilled players. As such, Gwent's Draft Mode introduction should not only give players another way of having fun on Gwent, but also give them ways of earning prizes near the end of the Season, allowing them to build up their decks even in the face of what would be insurmountable odds in the Constructed portion of Gwent.