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Mat

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Founder and chief editor of WePlayGames.net

End of the Year: Ubisoft MongoDB Meltdown

Tom Clancy;s Rainbow Six Siege had severe problem recently picture
Tom Clancy;s Rainbow Six Siege had severe problem recently

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Ubisoft just spent the tail end of December 2025 in a total defensive crouch. What started as a weird glitch in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege turned into a full-blown backend catastrophe that forced the publisher to pull the plug on global servers for over 24 hours.1 This wasn’t a standard “the servers are acting up” situation; this was a fundamental compromise of their internal logic.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Ubisoft Outage picture
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Ubisoft Outage

The Anatomy of the Breach

The chaos became undeniable on December 27, 2025. Players logging in were greeted with a surreal scene: their accounts were suddenly flush with approximately 2 billion R6 Credits—the game’s premium currency—and virtually every cosmetic item in the game was unlocked. For context, 15,000 credits usually retail for about $100, making the injected value per player essentially infinite.

MongoDB Ubisoft Outage picture
MongoDB Ubisoft Outage

Beyond the “Christmas come early” vibes, the attackers gained administrative control over the game’s moderation tools. They didn’t stop at credits:

  • Automated Chaos: The global ban ticker, usually reserved for catching cheaters, started broadcasting cryptic messages and Shaggy lyrics.
  • Account Manipulation: Attackers were actively banning and unbanning players at random, effectively gatekeeping the game from legitimate users.
  • Total Shutdown: By 11:00 AM UTC, Ubisoft realized the house was on fire and took Siege and its Marketplace entirely offline to prevent the total collapse of their economy.

The Technical Failure: MongoBleed and Weak APIs

While Ubisoft has been tight-lipped about the exact entry point, security researchers have pointed to a critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-14847, colloquially known as MongoBleed. This exploit allowed threat actors to infiltrate internal databases and Git repositories.

VectorImpact
CVE-2025-14847Deep access to internal source code and database functions.
API VulnerabilitiesBroken authentication on endpoints allowed unauthorized administrative calls.
Backend AuditAttackers essentially had the keys to the kingdom, including the ability to gift currency and modify account states.

The consensus among the technical crowd is that Ubisoft’s backend infrastructure lacked the necessary authorization checks on key API endpoints, allowing the attackers to masquerade as high-level administrators.

The Rollback and Current Status

Ubisoft’s solution was a scorched-earth policy. They initiated a global rollback of all player data to its state before December 27, 10:49 UTC.

  • Financial Impact: Every transaction made during the breach window was nuked.While Ubisoft confirmed players wouldn’t be banned for spending the “fake” credits, the items bought with them have been removed.
  • The “Two-Week” Recovery: As of December 31, 2025, servers are largely back online, but the Marketplace remains shuttered. Many players are reporting missing legitimate items—collateral damage of the rollback—which Ubisoft claims will take up to two weeks to rectify.
  • Infrastructure Stress: Users are still seeing “unplanned issues” on the official status page as the services ramp back up to handle the holiday player load.

The reality here is pretty grim for a triple-A studio. Managing a live-service game for a decade only to have the entire backend subverted by a known database vulnerability suggests a massive gap in their security-aware culture. It’s a reminder that even the biggest players in the industry are often running on legacy systems held together by duct tape and hope.

Physics-Based Headaches: Trine is Free Today

Trine Classic Collection Free on Epic Today picture
Trine Classic Collection Free on Epic Today

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

While the internet keeps chasing ghosts with fake AAA leak lists, Epic is actually delivering a four-course meal of high-fantasy competence. Today, December 30, the Trine Classic Collection hit the zero-dollar mark on the Epic Games Store. You’ve got until December 31 at 11:00 AM ET to claim the first four games of a series that basically defined the “physics-puzzler-with-swords” archetype. If you prefer Valve’s ecosystem or missed the window, the Steam Store is currently running a 75% discount through January 5, though even that feels pricey compared to the secondary market. A quick glance at G2A (affiliate link) shows keys floating around the $10 range, but honestly, paying anything for this today is a failure of basic consumer awareness.

Trine Epic Mystery Game - gaming time picture
Trine Epic Mystery Game – gaming time

Cheeese, Boxes, and Grappling Hooks: How Trine Actually Plays

The gimmick is simple: you control a Wizard who conjures boxes, a Thief with a grappling hook, and a Knight who hits things. The reality is much more chaotic. Trine thrives on the fact that its puzzles are “soft.” There isn’t a single correct way to cross a spike pit; if you can stack enough conjured crates into a precarious, wobbling tower and jump off the top before the whole thing collapses, the game counts it. This collection takes you from the hand-drawn beauty of the original Enchanted Edition and Trine 2—widely considered the peak of the genre—into the experimental 3D levels of Trine 3, finally landing on the polished, back-to-basics brilliance of Trine 4. It’s a series that rewards the “street intellectual” approach to gaming—don’t follow the developer’s breadcrumbs if you can just break the engine to get where you’re going.

Trine 2D Game picture
Trine 2D Game

Multiplayer Friction and Resourceful Cooperation

This is strictly better with friends, but it’s also a quick way to find out which of your buddies has zero spatial awareness. The three-player co-op turns every bridge-building exercise into a debate about weight distribution and momentum. It is a resourceful addition to any library because it scales perfectly; you can play it with kids who just want to swing on ropes or with a dedicated group trying to optimize every movement. Since these games are optimized for efficiency rather than raw power, you don’t need a top-tier rig to see the hand-painted assets in their best light. It’s an easy pick for the holiday break that provides dozens of hours of gameplay without demanding you learn a complex combat system or sit through endless cinematic fluff.

The Epic Games 2025 Holiday Purge is Now

Sucide Squad - Kill the Justice League picture
Sucide Squad - Kill the Justice League

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The annual inventory dump (until 8th of January 2026) on the Epic Games Store is less about holiday cheer and more about the cold mathematics of moving digital units. For those of us tracking the daily Mystery Games, which recently tossed out heavy-hitters like Hogwarts Legacy and Disco Elysium, the current sale is the final mathematical correction of the year. The mystery continues, but the storefront has effectively become a high-stakes clearance rack where the raw percentages finally favor the consumer.

Star-Wars-Outlaws-Speeder-ride
Star-Wars-Outlaws-Speeder-ride

The AAA Market Correction

High-profile releases from the 2024 and 2025 cycles are seeing early price collapses as publishers scramble to meet end-of-year targets. We see titles like Alan Wake 2 and Dying Light 2 Stay Human – Reloaded Edition sitting at 70%, a significant drop for software that still carries a high level of technical polish. Even the much-discussed Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Mirage have hit that same 70% floor, signaling a desperate need to inflate player numbers before the next fiscal quarter begins.

Assassin's Creed Mirage - Medieval Baghdad
Assassin’s Creed Mirage – Medieval Baghdad

Meanwhile, the latest entries in perennial franchises like EA SPORTS FC 26 and EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 have already reached a 60% discount, proving that the annual sports cycle is a race to the bottom once the initial launch window closes. For those looking at the newest bets, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, ARC Raiders, and Borderlands 4 are holding steady at 20%, offering a minor reprieve for early adopters who missed the initial window.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human - Reloaded Edition Epic Sale Holidaz picture
Dying Light 2 Stay Human – Reloaded Edition Epic Sale Holidaz

The Liquidation Ledger: 2025 Holiday Discounts

DiscountFeatured Games
95% OffSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
90% OffRiders Republic, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Civ VI, Borderlands 3, AC Origins, AC Valhalla, WRC 9, Watch Dogs 2
85% OffAlan Wake Remastered, GR Wildlands, Jedi: Survivor, RIDE 5, Mafia: Definitive Edition, AC Odyssey, AC Unity, Far Cry 5, Far Cry 4, Dying Light Essentials
80% OffThe Witcher 3 CE, Mortal Kombat 1, The Crew Motorfest, Dead Island 2, Batman Arkham Knight, Batman Arkham City GOTY, It Takes Two, Mafia II & III DE
75% OffRed Dead Redemption 2, Overcooked! 2, Hell Let Loose, Anno 1800, Jurassic World Evo 2, Slime Rancher, 3DMark
70% OffAlan Wake 2, Dying Light 2, Outlast Trials, Star Wars Outlaws, AC Mirage, Cities: Skylines, Remnant II
60-67% OffUncharted: Legacy of Thieves (67%), GTA Trilogy (67%), Cyberpunk 2077 (65%), Spider-Man Remastered (60%), God of War (60%), Death Stranding DC (60%)
50% OffGTA V Enhanced, F1 25, AC Shadows, The Last of Us Part I, Silent Hill 2, Red Dead Redemption, Planet Coaster 2
30-40% OffGhost of Tsushima DC (40%), Frostpunk 2 (40%), Civilization VII (35%), Manor Lords (35%), Battlefield 6 (30%)
10-25% OffCronos: The New Dawn (25%), Expedition 33 (20%), Stellar Blade (20%), Borderlands 4 (20%), Football Manager 26 (10%)
Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 - Riding a Motorcycle 1
Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 – Riding a Motorcycle 1

Seeing software like Suicide Squad hit a 95% discount is a grim autopsy of a failed project, essentially offering the title for the price of a coffee. However, the real value for a cautious buyer lies in the 60-80% brackets where polished experiences like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 are sitting at price points that actually respect your bank account. Take the 20% rewards and run, but don’t expect the industry to stay this vulnerable forever.

Kill the Justice League picture
Kill the Justice League

Today’s Epic Mystery Game for Free is Viewfinder

Viewfinder Free on Epic 29 December 2025 picture
Viewfinder Free on Epic 29 December 2025

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Stop wasting your time tracking fake AAA leaks and pay attention to the high-concept genius actually sitting in your library. Today, December 29, the Epic mystery vault has opened to reveal Viewfinder, a puzzle game that makes most other first-person titles look physically unimaginative. You are handed a camera and told to break the world. You hold up a 2D photograph, line it up with the horizon, and let go—the image instantly stamps itself into the 3D geometry, creating new bridges, buildings, and paths out of thin air. It is a mechanical magic trick that works every single time, forcing you to treat your own perspective as a physical tool rather than just a way to see.

Viewfinder gameplay picture
Viewfinder gameplay

From Pixelated Dread to Solar-Punk Solitude

Yesterday’s gift, SKALD: Against the Black Priory, was a gritty dive into 8-bit cosmic rot, and the transition to the bright, overgrown brutalism of Viewfinder is a massive tonal whiplash. While SKALD relied on dice rolls and grim-dark prose, this game relies on your spatial awareness and your ability to see solutions where others see a dead end. Both games represent Epic’s current strategy of highlighting titles with actual artistic backbone instead of just dumping generic shooters. It is a win for anyone who values a refined, five-hour experience over a bloated hundred-hour map-clearing exercise.

Securing Your Second Chance

If you miss the 24-hour window to claim this for free, you have a solid backup on the Steam Store, where the game is currently slashed by 65% through January 5. For those looking to squeeze the most value out of their holiday budget, G2A often has keys listed for even less than the official sale price, sometimes dipping closer to a couple of dollars depending on the seller. It’s also the final stretch to secure the Monument Valley collection on the mobile Epic store before that deal expires on January 1. This is a resourceful day to be a gamer, provided you’re quick enough to click the button before the next mystery reveals itself tomorrow.

Viewfinder Gameplay Screenshot picture
Viewfinder Gameplay Screenshot

2026 Gaming Forecast: Rockstar’s Heavyweight Return and the Battle for Your SSD Space

Tomb Raider- Legacy of Atlantis 2026 Lara Croft picture
Tomb Raider- Legacy of Atlantis 2026 Lara Croft

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

The year 2026 is shaping up to be a total collision course of legacy sequels and high-budget gambles that might actually pay off. We are looking at a calendar where the industry finally stops leaning on the cross-gen crutch and starts pushing hardware to its absolute limit. Between Rockstar’s inevitable gravity well and Capcom reviving dead samurai franchises, the release schedule looks like a minefield of potential masterpieces and expensive flops. I’ve parsed the hype, filtered the noise, and ranked these projects based on their likely market dominance and cultural footprint.

Grand Theft Auto VI - GTA6 is always top to wait game picture
Grand Theft Auto VI – GTA6 is always top to wait game

The Titan That Will Swallow the Industry: Grand Theft Auto VI

Rockstar is finally ready to show us where the money went. November 19, 2026, is the date everyone is circling with a mix of excitement and genuine dread for their free time. Expected to push the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S to their absolute breaking point, this is the biggest thing happening in 2026, period. It’s the kind of project that forces every other publisher to move their release dates out of sheer terror. Expect a level of detail that makes current open worlds look like a collection of cardboard boxes. It’s going to be a massive commercial beast, and we’ll see if the writing can still hit that cynical Rockstar sweet spot in today’s world.

Max Payne I and II Remake PlayStation Xbox PC picture
Max Payne I and II Remake PlayStation Xbox PC

The Brutal Edge of Superheroes: Marvel’s Wolverine

Insomniac is carrying the PlayStation brand on its back right now, and this PlayStation 5 exclusive is their most aggressive move yet. We’re expecting a visceral, R-rated Logan that refuses to play nice. If you want a game that feels like a punch to the gut, this is the one. It’s got the high-budget polish and the talent to be the biggest thing outside of the Rockstar orbit. It’s going to sell millions on brand name alone, but the raw grit is what will make it stay on your hard drive. This is easily the silver medalist for 2026 success, catering to everyone who wanted the Spider-Man quality with a lot more blood.

Resident Evil Requiem picture
Resident Evil Requiem

Horror Royalty and Speed Demons: Resident Evil 9 and Forza Horizon 6

Capcom is calling this one Resident Evil: Requiem, and the word on the street is that it’s the bridge connecting the entire series for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It’s horror for the masses, polished to a mirror finish. Right next to it, Forza Horizon 6 is finally taking the festival to Japan as a flagship Xbox and PC title. The car culture there is legendary, and if Playground Games nails the neon aesthetic of Tokyo and the rural mountain passes, it’s going to be the visual benchmark for the hardware. These two are the heavy hitters for the mid-year window that will dominate the conversation.

Forza Horizon 6 expected 2026 picture
Forza Horizon 6 expected 2026

High-Budget Fantasy Gambles: Fable and Rise of Hydra

Microsoft needs Fable to be a home run on Xbox and PC. It’s been in the oven forever, and while the pedigree of Playground Games is undeniable, translating that British wit into an RPG is a different beast entirely. It’s a dark horse that could dominate the holiday season if it finds its voice. Then there’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, aiming for a cinematic launch on consoles and PC. With Amy Hennig involved, the expectation for a cinematic powerhouse is sky-high. It’s a straightforward action play that will move units on the Marvel name alone, even if it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Resident Evil Requiem 2026 - Leon picture
Resident Evil Requiem 2026 – Leon

The Thinking Man’s Games: Control, Slay the Spire 2, and Tomb Raider

Remedy doesn’t make games for everyone, and that’s why they’re great. Control: Resonant is headed to PS5, Xbox, and PC for the heads who want their brains scrambled by high-brow weirdness. It’s a specific vibe that won’t hit GTA numbers, but it will be the critical darling of the year. Slay the Spire 2 is the indie king here, likely dominating PC first. It’s pure mechanical perfection that will ruin your sleep schedule. Meanwhile, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is trying to prove Lara Croft still matters across all major platforms. Reimagining the original is a safe move, but it needs to do more than mimic the Uncharted formula to stand out in the 2026 meat grinder.

Grand Theft Auto VI - GTA6 expected in 2026 picture
Grand Theft Auto VI – GTA6 expected in 2026

Nostalgia Plays and Specialized Hits: Onimusha and Monster Hunter Stories 3

Capcom is digging into the vault for Onimusha: Way of the Sword for PS5, Xbox, and PC. It’s a nostalgia play that has a dedicated following but might struggle with a younger audience that didn’t grow up with the PS2. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is another specific win, likely finding a home on Nintendo’s next hardware and PC. These are solid performers that know their lanes and stay in them, providing that old-school flavor for the players who miss the straightforward brilliance of the early 2000s.

Control Resonant picture
Control Resonant

The Wuxia Dream and the RPG Newcomers: Phantom Blade Zero and Blood of the Dawnwalker

Phantom Blade Zero looks incredible in motion, like a Hong Kong action flick come to life for PS5 and PC. The concern is whether the gameplay holds up under the flash. It’s a new IP from S-Game that could be the breakout hit of the year if the difficulty is tuned right. The Blood of Dawnwalker is the first outing from Rebel Wolves for consoles and PC. It’s got that CD Projekt Red DNA, and RPG fans are starving for something with that kind of depth. It’s a long shot for the top of the charts, but it has the street cred to be a sleeper hit for the hardcore crowd. So lets wayt for Phantom Blade Zero a bit to see.

Onimusha - Way of Sword picture
Onimusha – Way of Sword

The Nintendo Guard and the Creator’s Return: Mario Tennis, Yoshi, and Gang of Dragon

With the Switch 2 in full swing, Nintendo is dropping Mario Tennis Fever and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. They’re the reliable revenue earners—low risk, high polish. They won’t set the world on fire with innovation, but they’ll be in every household with kids. There’s also the faint hope for a Super Mario Galaxy 3 announcement to coincide with the movie, though that’s leaning more toward wishful thinking for the Switch 2.

The Blood of Dawnwalker - gameplay 2026 picture
The Blood of Dawnwalker – gameplay 2026

Toshihiro Nagoshi is also stepping out with Gang of Dragon on PS5 and PC. It’s a gritty urban adventure from the man who gave us Yakuza, and while it’s a niche appeal, the quality is usually undeniable for anyone who likes their games with a bit of street-level grime.

Tomb Raider- Legacy of Atlantis Lara is back in 2026 picture
Tomb Raider- Legacy of Atlantis Lara is back in 2026

The Expansion Fatigue and the Valve Pipe Dream

Blizzard is trying to keep the lights on with World of Warcraft: Midnight on PC, but the real test is Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. After the last expansion left a lot of the community feeling cold, this move on consoles and PC is starting to look like a play for a player base that’s already moving on to greener pastures. Then you have the absolute madness of the Half-Life 3 hope. Every year some optimist thinks Valve is finally going to count to three on PC, and 2026 is no different. It’s the ultimate believe-it-when-I-see-it situation, but the cultural weight of that brand is so heavy it can’t be ignored even if it’s probably just another beautiful lie.

Tomb Raider- Legacy of Atlantis 2026 gameplay picture
Tomb Raider- Legacy of Atlantis 2026 gameplay

The Cult Creeps and Horror Junkie Fixes

The 2026 horror landscape is a chaotic mess of legitimate scares and nostalgia bait. Hellraiser: Revival is bringing body-horror back to consoles and PC, which carries weight if you actually care about visceral aesthetics. The Sinking City 2 is also crawling out of the woodwork on PS5, Xbox, and PC, trying to fix the jank of the first one while leaning into that damp, Lovecraftian misery. Then there is the Fatal Frame: Crimson Butterfly remake for consoles, which is basically the IP holders realizing that we’ll pay for the same trauma twice if the ghosts look high-def enough.

Fable 2026 expected game - Walking medieval downtown picture
Fable 2026 expected game – Walking medieval downtown

You also have Ghost Master: Resurrection for the strategy nerds and Crisol: Theater of Idols, a PC-focused shooter where your own health is literally the ammo. Poppy Playtime is still kicking around too, proving that the mascot horror trend is far from dead on all platforms.

Phantom Blade Zero Demo games 2026 .jpg picture
Phantom Blade Zero Demo games 2026 .jpg

Indie Grinds and Licensed Brawlers Fighting for Scraps

Mewgenics is finally looking like a real thing on PC, and anyone who knows Edmund McMillen knows that it’s going to be a disgusting, addictive masterpiece. Alongside it, we have Neverway and 1348 Ex Voto representing the smaller, more personal projects that usually end up being the games we’re still talking about five years later. On the fighting front, it’s a weird mix of licenses for all systems. Invincible VS and Avatar Legends are clearly aiming for that specific fan crossover, while Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is trying to carve out its own space in a genre that is notoriously hard to break into. These games won’t be topping the charts, but they provide the texture that keeps the industry from becoming a monotonous loop.

Control Resonant expected 2026 picture
Control Resonant expected 2026

The Nintendo Trap and Remedy’s Backlog

Nintendo is playing the long game with the Switch 2, and their 2026 lineup is a masterclass in emotional manipulation. There’s the faint hope for a Super Mario Galaxy 3 announcement to coincide with the movie, though that’s leaning more toward wishful thinking for the new hardware. On the technical side, everyone is wondering what’s happening with the Max Payne 1 & 2 Remakes. While Remedy is pushing Control: Resonant, the shadow of those noir classics looms large over PS5, Xbox, and PC. If they manage to drop both in the same window, it’ll be a total takeover of the mid-tier market. Meanwhile, Poppy Playtime is still kicking around on all platforms, proving that the mascot horror trend is far from dead for the audience that likes their childhood toys turned into homicidal monsters.

Control Resonant gameplay in 2026 picture
Control Resonant gameplay in 2026

Licensed Brawlers Fighting for Scraps

On the fighting front, it’s a weird mix of licenses for all systems that feels like a fever dream for the tournament scene. Invincible VS and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game are clearly aiming for that specific fan crossover, while Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is trying to carve out its own space in a genre that is notoriously hard to break into. These games won’t be topping the charts or making Rockstar-level money, but they provide the texture that keeps the 2026 calendar from being a monotonous loop of the same three genres. It’s the grit at the bottom of the pan that actually gives the year its flavor, even if most people are too distracted by the shiny stuff at the top to notice the real work being done here

Phantom Blade Zero Demo fighting dragon picture
Phantom Blade Zero Demo fighting dragon