InsideXO

Category: news

  • When ‘Safety’ Silences: How the UK’s Online Safety Act 2025 Could Change Journalism Forever.

    When ‘Safety’ Silences: How the UK’s Online Safety Act 2025 Could Change Journalism Forever.

    The UK’s Online Safety Act is fully enforced as of 25 July 2025. It aims to make the internet safer, especially for children. It mandates strict content moderation, age verification, and accountability measures for platforms like TikTok, X, Reddit, and more. Platforms face steep fines, up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue, for failing to comply.

    The Act’s broader impact has already been felt. Creators like Dylan Page have found their politically sensitive TikTok Videos removed. These were not taken down for violating the platform’s rules. Instead, they were flagged for “age-inappropriate content” under this Act. These sweeping removals affect the ability of independent creators to share critical or niche content.

    @dylan.page

    100% serious. This cannot start effecting news creators.

    ♬ original sound – Dylan Page


    Safety vs. Free Speech: A Delicate Balance


    The new regulations have empowered Ofcom to enforce “highly effective” age checks. They also implement algorithm controls to shield children from harmful content. This includes graphic violence or self-harm. While well-intentioned, critics argue implementation has been too broad, sweeping up legitimate adult-oriented or newsworthy content. Platforms like X have pushed back, warning of excessive censorship.

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    Real-World Responses & Pushback

    • VPNs Surge: In the UK, VPN use has exploded. An example, Proton VPN saw a 1,400% spike in sign-ups, as users try (legally, but controversially) to bypass age checks.
    • Tech Leaders Speak Out: Marc Andreessen publicly criticised the Act. He called it a threat to free speech. Marc Andreessen contacted Downing Street directly over its implications.
    • Mass Public Backlash: Over 500,000 people have signed a petition to repeal the law. Opponents warn that overreach could stifle discourse. It may also alienate UK users from global platforms.

    Despite this heavy criticism, the government maintains that the law carefully balances child safety with expressive freedoms, and that platforms must protect users while facilitating adult voices

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    What It Means for Creators, Even in Indie Games & Film

    You might wonder why InsideXO is covering this at all. After all, we mostly focus on indie games and entertainment. But here’s why it matters:

    • If politically themed indie games get flagged under these new rules, creators could see their content limited. This applies to documentaries or even in-depth game reviews as well, even when the content is valid for adult audiences.
    • The UK is now a global testing ground for content regulation, with ideas potentially exporting into EU and U.S. legislation.

    InsideXO’s Stand:

    At InsideXO, we believe in thoughtful, honest storytelling and the freedom to share it. We support protecting vulnerable users, but not at the cost of silencing journalists, critics, or creators who produce meaningful, age-appropriate content. Freedom of the press is the single most important factor in democracy. It is essential to freely share information without censorship or punishment. This freedom is critical to the future of our country.

    Heads-Up for Our Readers

    Stay alert. If you notice unexplained removals or limits on gaming or film commentary, this Act might be the reason.

    Support independent discourse: Share news or artists affected by broad censorship. Engage with fellow creators about safe and fair content pathways.

    Sign The Petition Here to have your voice heard.

    Share Your Thoughts Below, Or Join Our Discord To Join The Full Discussion.

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  • Phasmophobia Announces New Small Map – Neil’s Diner.

    Phasmophobia Announces New Small Map – Neil’s Diner.

    The Developer behind the beloved ghost-hunting horror Phasmophobia has announced their next Small Map

    ‘‘Nell’s Diner, serving the city of Tuscon, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.’’

    Neil’s Diner takes inspiration from classic American diners. It will be the next addition to the map list for players to explore in Phasmophobia. Neil’s Diner features 13 rooms and 11 unique ghost rooms. It will become the game’s 14th map. Many players are very excited to get a new small map. I find the big maps rather tricky with only a small duo!

    One cool feature they’ve mentioned is a freezer room. It makes it just that extra bit tricky to identify the ghost. You will struggle to find the freezing temps evidence!

    Sadly there isn’t a release date just yet, but we will keep you informed as soon as one is released!

    One thing we do have a release for however, is the rework of Grafton Farmhouse!

    This will now look completely different to its sister map, and will feature as more run-down and derelict, we can’t wait to dive in and check this one out on August 12th, 2025 when the update drops!

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    What do you think of the new map? share with your Ghost-Hunting squad, and let us know what you think in the comments, or join our discord for more!

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  • Battlefield 6 Loaded with Bots? DICE have responded.

    Battlefield 6 Loaded with Bots? DICE have responded.

    With Loads of chatter about the use of Bots in Battlefield 6 Matches, DICE Have finally responded

    Battlefield 6 has just entered into its Early-Access open Beta, and along side enormous queue’s and frequent glitches, players have shifted their concerns to another issue, Bots?

    The battlefield community have responded very negatively to comments made earlier this week about the potential use of bots to help fill lobbies

    Fortunately, In a statement posted to social media, DICE offered some context. They states bots are only used on the Training Grounds playlists within the Open Beta. This week, that means Breakthrough Initiation. These playlists are designed to introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough and as such they offer a nicer experience than a full lobby, DICE explained.

    Here’s The Full Statement.

    Clarification on AI Soldiers within Open Beta. AI Soldiers are only present on the “Training Grounds” playlists within the Open Beta. This week is “Breakthrough Initiation”. Breakthrough Initiation is a playlist that allows you to experience Breakthrough alongside 15 other players, with additional AI Soldiers filling up the match thereafter. Training Grounds playlists are here to introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough, and offer a smoother experience than a full lobby. Additionally, you can experience Breakthrough without AI Soldiers by playing Breakthrough from the “Featured” playlist row. Training Grounds is only available for the first 15 ranks, at which point it will disappear from the front end.

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    What are your thoughts in the growing use of bots and AI in games, useful tool, or fan enemy? Let us know in the comments below, or join our discord for more!

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  • Microsoft Halts development on Contraband

    Microsoft Halts development on Contraband

    4 years after its first announcement, Avalanche have posted a statement. They said that “active development has now stopped” on the game.


    Contraband was described as an open world, co-op heist game, Set in the 70’s. It comes from the developers of the ‘Just Cause’ Game series. However, in the 4 years since its initial teaser trailer, almost nothing has been heard about it.

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    Contraband joins a growing list of games cancelled by Microsoft, titles such as ‘Perfect Dark’ and ‘Everwild’ are such named victims of these cutbacks, it comes as Microsoft continues heavy lay-offs, despite continuing to be a financial powerhouse, recently pledging spending $80bn (£68.6bn) in massive data centres to train AI models.

    What are your thoughts on the cancellation? are you surprised with all these recent cuts? Let us know below in the comments!

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  • Grounded 2’s first Patch is Bigger than expected!

    Grounded 2’s first Patch is Bigger than expected!


    Obsidian has released the first Patch for Grounded 2. Let’s review the Fixes and changes made.

    Just over a week ago, Obsidian launched the highly anticipated sequel to Grounded. They brought a plethora of new content and challenges for us to experience. Now with the first Patch out, let’s have a look at what’s changed!

    A Few Key Points:

    • Acorn Tops are now a guaranteed drop
    • Wearing Wolf spider Armour will no longer apply venom on regular attacks with all daggers
    • Bee’s now follow proper sleep behavior at night

    That means If you’ve been searching high and low for those Acorn tops, you now will get more regular drops! Useful considering just how many you will end up using, whether it’s in building or for Armour.

    And what’s better than the Bees getting some proper sleep? 

    Check out the Full List Below

    QOL & Community Requested Features

    • Acorn tops are now a guaranteed drop
    • Created a flow for Steam players to access Crossplay
    • Updated character icons in the HUD and map
    • Removed “explore” and “go to entry” where it wasn’t possible to use
    • User can now hot deposit their haulable on a buggy
    • Wolf spider fur polish

    Major Bug Fixes

    • Various Performance Improvements (We don’t expect this to fix the performance problems as a whole, but various optimizations are underway behind the scenes. We will continue to work on optimization throughout all of development).
    • Fixed the issue where the ORC Bee by the blueberry bush was above the skybox and was unable to be hit
    • Fixed a bug where ORC Creatures did not return to their intended locations after being pulled away (This fix is not retroactive to the save file – Please note you are not softlocked, please go to where you died last to find the ORC Creature Missing).
    • Various Stability Improvements (Major Stability Improvements were made – in our estimates were expecting a 40%- 60% improvement from 0.1.1.3).
    • Fixed a bug where Shared Worlds Crashed after prolonged gameplay (Also fixed a bug on the backend that would cause Shared World saves to be lost indefinitely).
    • Opening Photo Mode no longer causes clients to lose functionality during multiplayer sessions.
    • Resolved an issue where the sizzle effect persisted indefinitely after saving and loading the game.
    • Fixed a progression blocker that occurred when saving/loading after defeating tutorial mites.
    • Addressed a bug where clients could fall beneath the terrain textures during multiplayer gameplay.
    • [Redacted] now properly descends during the [Redacted] encounter.
    • Corrected instances where Park terrain failed to render for players.
    • Key mappings now remain intact after exiting a session, preventing unwanted resets

    Multiplayer Bug Fixes

    • Various De-Sync Improvements
    • Fixed a bug where clients joined with improved stats

    Building Improvements

    • Various Improvements preventing building on dirt piles around The Park (We don’t expect this to be fixed completely – but improvements have been made).
    • Fixed an issue where the “S” key wouldn’t respond during build mode.
    • Corrected naming inconsistencies across various building structures.
    • Resolved a problem that prevented decoration blueprints from being placed on walls or furniture.

    Buggy Improvements

    • Buggies can now be summoned from greater distances without issue.
    • Fixed a bug where the Red Ant Buggy incorrectly spawned as a hostile Red Soldier Ant.
    • Addressed a controller issue where RB wouldn’t function after mounting the Orb Weaver Buggy.
    • Resolved a visual glitch where Eggs stored in inventory became invisible after saving and loading.
    • Fixed a scenario where players could become stuck beneath a buggy after dismounting.
    • Prevented Eggs from disappearing in storage following a save/load cycle.
    • Eliminated overlapping UI elements for clients loading into a save while mounted.
    • Fixed a bug that caused buggy loss after entering the cooler.
    • Buggies no longer take gas damage while blocking.
    • Improved buggy summoning logic to avoid spawning inside terrain (e.g., caves, anthills).

    Creative Mode

    • Fixed a bug where the Handy Gnat feature was not functioning as intended
    • Invert Vertical Look setting now properly affects Handy Gnat controls.
    • Removed unintended calls from Sloane while in Creative Mode.
    • The Mysterious Stranger no longer appears in Creative Mode sessions.
    • Ranger Outposts are now correctly unlocked in Creative Mode.

    The Park

    • Various Fixes with Creatures spawning inside of Geometry
    • Fixed a bug where scorpions didn’t attack correctly in the Ice Sickles event
    • Raw Science orbs are now easier to see from a distance
    • Patched several terrain gaps throughout The Park.
    • Corrected floating waypoint markers in specific areas.
    • Reduced shadow flickering across various Park regions.
    • Fixed a softlock that could occur after dying in the Teleporter.
    • Bees now follow proper sleep behavior at night.
    • Closed off access to unfinished areas that were previously reachable.
    • Addressed a stuck spot on the ramp in the O.R.C. Cockroach Queen arena.
    • Clients now experience proper collision when parkouring on plant stems.
    • The Resource Finder now correctly detects all intended resources.

    Combat

    • Wearing Wolf Spider Armor no longer causes all daggers to apply venom on regular attacks.
    • Fixed an issue where drinking dirty water caused infinite Sick debuff stacking.
    • Thrown weapons no longer get stuck mid-air for clients.
    • Fixed a bug where the death timer was not visible to Client after Save/Load

    Additional Bug Fixes

    UI/UX

    • Replaced placeholder text in the Fertilizer description with finalized content.
    • Tutorial tooltips now correctly reflect custom key bindings.
    • Removed a nonfunctional “Activate Handy Gnat” prompt from the interface.
    • Corrected item preview behavior in the Crafting Menu to prevent unintended replacements.
    • Eliminated an unintended grain texture from the UI background.
    • Resolved an issue where 3D models displayed with a black backdrop in the UI.
    • Updated the Summoning Wheel to show accurate status indicators.
    • Ensured Buggy status is properly reflected in the interface.
    • Adjusted UI text scaling for better readability across resolutions.
    • Fixed the incorrect buff icon for “Human Food.”
    • Corrected location messaging in the map UI.
    • Addressed input dead zones in the Crafting Menu that blocked navigation.
    • Localized the Camera Mode Toggle label correctly.
    • Prevented text cutoff in Ominent audiolog entries.
    • Removed multiplayer prompts from singleplayer sessions.
    • Improved resolution for Comms Array images in the UI.

    Gameplay

    • Players can now complete the Hatchery blueprint from all sides.
    • Restored functionality to the “S” key in build mode.
    • Quests now progress correctly after smoothie creation.
    • Optical Discs are now collectible post-tutorial.
    • MIX.R event completion no longer blocks subsequent quests.
    • Blueprint placement near dirt clumps and MIX.R now works as expected.
    • Removed duplicate quest entries for already completed objectives.
    • Candy consumption on the Buggy now counts toward mutation progress.
    • Improved Buggy summoning and pathfinding consistency.
    • Fixed a trap scenario on the web bridge.
    • Status effects now visibly apply to creature models.
    • “Confront the Stranger” quest now unlocks properly.
    • Photo references for Ominent Optical Discs are now present.
    • Thistle Needle preview now displays correctly.
    • Suppressed the post-battle incoming call after defeating the Mysterious Stranger.

    Environment

    • Resolved terrain gaps that were visible in the Snack Front region.
    • Prevented out-of-bounds visibility near the MIX.R area.
    • Restricted unintended access to unfinished zones.
    • Removed an out-of-world camera angle above Ranger Outpost: Ceremony.
    • Patched multiple visual breaks near the Tennis Ball, Empty Terrarium, and surrounding locations.
    • Adjusted spawn points to prevent Bombardier Beetles from appearing inside geometry.
    • Corrected Orb Weaver placement to avoid spawning within terrain.
    • Fixed an issue where Bombardier Beetles became stuck in foliage around The Park.
    • Addressed spider fall-through behavior when interacting with webs.
    • Eliminated flickering on Brittle Quartzite Shards in the park.
    • Enabled proper placement of decoration blueprints on walls and furniture.
    • Refined Buggy summoning logic to avoid spawning inside terrain (e.g., caves, anthills).
    • Relocated Scorpion Adult spawns to prevent overlap with the statue bush.
    • Restored blueberry harvesting functionality on the Picnic Table.
    • Fixed one-sided texture rendering in the Ceremony zone.
    • Realigned stone collision near Mollar Stash.
    • Corrected mosquito sleep spot positioning.
    • Sealed an out-of-world gap near Ranger Station: Flower Bed.
    • Closed visual breaks near the Yoked Girth Magazine Ad.
    • Smoothed out terrain inconsistencies throughout the park.
    • Repaired misaligned textures in the Ice Cart Outpost.
    • Addressed glass clipping issues across various map locations.
    • Fixed respawn logic that placed players outside the Flower Bed Outpost.
    • Added collision to the oak tree model.
    • Prevented save/load traps involving pinecones.
    • Removed unintended gap visibility in the Statue Area.
    • Patched out-of-world gaps in the Ice Cart Outpost.
    • Grounded floating acorns.
    • Corrected floating terrain assets across multiple zones.
    • Fixed clipping issues with environmental props.
    • Eliminated a visual gap in the Fire Pit region.
    • Covered a visible break behind the Fresh Mint.
    • Resolved out-of-world gaps in the Toxic Anthill.
    • Smoothed angular stretching of dirt textures.
    • Fixed one-sided rendering on root textures.
    • Prevented grass from growing through the Thistle leaf.
    • Corrected one-sided dirt textures between the Picnic Table and Fire Pit.
    • Addressed dirt clipping in the Trashbags Outpost.
    • Added missing collision to the Shalpz Amplifier mesh.
    • Fixed overlapping grass blades near BURG.L.
    • Removed terrain obstruction in the Snackbar area.

    Audio

    • Adjusted sound behavior so the Mysterious Stranger’s global SFX no longer plays outside the lab.
    • Limited the Array ringing sound effect to its intended floor level.
    • Synced the Cockroach Queen’s Body Slam animation with its audio for proper timing.
    • Restored missing ambient audio in the Ice Cart area.
    • Corrected playback issues with Pete’s voice lines.
    • Updated glass impact sounds to match expected audio cues.
    • Fixed a looping issue with the SCA.B 2K scanner sound after saving and loading.
    • Ensured global sound effects are now audible to all players, not just the host.

    Localization

    • Addressed an issue where the terms “Button” and “Slide/Unlock” were not properly translated.
    • Resolved missing localization for the suitcase interaction on the Picnic Table.
    • Corrected inaccurate Italian text in pop-up notifications.
    • Spanish translations for MIX.R messages have been added.
    • Fixed a UI overflow problem in the Smoothing Station caused by localization inconsistencies.

    Art

    • Updated the Cockroach Queen’s [Redacted] state to use the correct texture instead of an outdated one.
    • Resolved an issue where character poses caused floating behavior in Photo Mode.
    • Fixed hair clipping on Willow when wearing headgear.
    • Smoothed out texture stretching on teen characters during wake-up animations.
    • Standardized hair visual effects for consistency.
    • Adjusted the Ladybug Chestplate to prevent leg clipping with teen models.
    • Corrected Grub Leggings overlap with Willow’s boots.
    • Refined Clover Poncho string movement to behave as intended.
    • Reattached Sizzling Robes components that were detaching and clipping into teen characters.
    • Fixed visual clipping on the Butterfly Circlet accessory.
    • Addressed head clipping on Willow during death animations.
    • Corrected one-sided texture rendering behind Major Diesel.

    Multiplayer

    • Key bindings now persist correctly after exiting a multiplayer session.
    • Omni-Tool interactions are no longer interrupted for client players.
    • Founder Pack skins remain equipped after joining a new session.
    • Prevented users from launching multiple instances of the game simultaneously.
    • Realigned client-side waking animations for proper visual flow.
    • Fixed Shared World save renaming functionality.
    • Restored visibility of Founder Pack gear and hairstyles in PEEP.R mode.
    • Removed indefinite “Waiting for others” prompt triggered by Lean-To destruction.
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    What do you think of the games launch so far? are you impressed with how quickly they’ve rolled out these fixes? Let us know in the comments!

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