Sega's ALL.Net arcade network stays down a week after unauthorised access, while Bandai Namco's games come back on trial

The stories

18 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Sega's ALL.Net arcade network stays down a week after unauthorised access, while Bandai Namco's games come back on trial

   2004

   the year Sega launched ALL.Net

   it now carries games from rival Bandai Namco too [1]

   10 Nov

   the date Sega has promised its next update

   Sega gives no estimate for fixing its own games [1]

   What happened

   • Sega suspended ALL.Net, the online network behind many arcade games in Japan, on 1 November. [1]
   • Sega Fave, the Sega company that runs it, says an unauthorised third party got into its systems. [3]
   • Tom's Hardware, citing a Japanese news site, reported rows of silent black screens this week. [1]
   • Bandai Namco's games are now coming back on a trial basis, while Sega's own games stay down. [1]
   • Sega's Initial D The Arcade, maimai and CHUNITHM all rely on ALL.Net. [1]
   • So do Bandai Namco's Mario Kart Arcade GP DX and Gundam Extreme Vs. [1]
   • Bandai Namco, a separate game company, also licenses Sega's Aime card for Taiko no Tatsujin, a rhythm game. [2]
   • Sega says personal details and billing data were not on the affected server. [1]
   • Sega also told customers it was still investigating, and asked for more time. [1]
   • For many popular arcade games, especially rhythm games, the service is vital, Kotaku reports. [2]
   • Some arcades switched machines to offline play, so that some games stayed playable. [2]
   • Older machines that never connect to a network were not affected. [1]
   • Taito and Konami, two rival arcade makers, run their own separate networks. [1]

   Who is involved

   Sega launched ALL.Net in 2004 so arcade machines could use the internet. [1]

   It carries updates, online play and national leaderboards. [1]

   Aime is a card that players tap on a machine, holding their player details. [2]

   • Sega Fave the Sega company that runs ALL.Net; it suspended the service after unauthorised access
   • A third party not named
   • Initial D Sega
   • maimai Sega
   • CHUNITHM Sega
   • Mario Kart Arcade Bandai Namco
   • Gundam Extreme Vs Bandai Namco
   • Taito and Konami rival arcade game makers that run their own separate networks
   • Konami own network
   • Bandai Namco a Japanese game maker whose arcade games use ALL.Net; its titles are returning first, on trial

   How it unfolded

   This was the second shutdown in days: Sega took the service down at the end of October too. [2]

   That first time it reopened for Japan only, which brought complaints from players abroad. [2]

   1. 2004 Sega starts ALL.Net
   2. 1 Nov Services suspended after unauthorised access [2]
   3. 10 Nov Next update promised [1]
   4. Late Oct Down to fix a web flaw
   5. Then Back, Japan only
   6. 1 Nov Down again
   7. Now Sega games still down
   8. 10 Nov Next update due
   9. 2004 Sega launches ALL.Net [1]
   10. Late Oct Sega takes the service down to fix a web flaw, then reopens it for Japan only [2]
   11. By 8 Nov Bandai Namco games begin returning on trial [1]

   Why it matters

   Game centres cannot run many of their most popular machines while the service is off, Kotaku reports. [2]

   How it works

   Reliability engineers call this a common-cause failure: one fault stops many machines at once.

   Games from two makers depended on one network, so one incident stopped both at once. [1] Taito and Konami kept their networks apart. [1]

   Seen it before

   When one water pipe bursts, every flat on that pipe goes dry together.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Sega Fave suspended ALL.Net on 1 November after an unauthorised third party got into its systems, and many game centres in Japan lost their rhythm games.A week later Bandai Namco's games are returning on trial and Sega's own are not, and Sega has not said how anyone got in. [1][2]
   • Sega's account of what was on the server is its own. [2] On 2 November it said its investigation would take time. [2]
   • Kotaku says the nature of the access "has yet to be disclosed". [2]
   • Who gains Taito and Konami — Their arcade games run on their own separate networks, so this suspension did not reach them. [1]
   • Who gains Bandai Namco — Its games are first back on ALL.Net, on trial, with online play and cards working. [1]
   • Who pays Game centres in Japan — They cannot run many of their most popular machines while the service is off. [2]
   • Who pays Players outside Japan — After October's shutdown the service came back for Japan only, and they were shut out. [2]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Why Bandai Namco's games returned before Sega's own.

     ALL.Net told customers they would resume on a trial basis, and the report of that notice gives no reason. [1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How the third party got in, and how far it reached.

     The nature of the access has not been disclosed, and Sega said on 2 November its investigation would take time. [2]

   • Nobody knows yet

     When Sega's own arcade games will come back.

     There is no estimate for the fix, and the next notice is promised for 10 November. [1]

   Good news

   • Bandai Namco's returning games have online play and card use switched back on. [1]

   What comes next

   A news bulletin is promised for Tuesday 10 November. [1]

1. 02

   Epic publishes the odds on Fortnite's rarest chest prize

   What happened

   • Epic Games has published the odds for Fortnite's Pirate Token, a very rare prize found in chests. [4]
   • In a normal match a chest has a 1:137,500 chance of giving Pirate Shop access. [4]
   • The token makes almost every item in that shop free for 14 days. [4]
   • The rarest prize, the Weekly Gold Outfit, is 1:1,562,500. [4]
   • Epic published the numbers about a week after the season began on 1 November. [4]

   How it unfolded

   1. 1 Nov Season starts, no odds
   2. A week on Epic prints the odds

   Why it matters

   Players had spent hours opening chests with no idea how long the search would take. [4] Some guessed a chance near 1:7,000. [4]

   How it works

   Statisticians call each chest an independent trial: chests already opened do not change the next one.

   One player complained that people with over 3,000 chests opened had nothing. [4] Epic says every player has the same chance. [4]

   Seen it before

   A coin does not remember the heads that came before.

   The truth

   • IGN reports that players tried to report Epic to the US Federal Trade Commission. [4] IGN reports no response from that agency. [4]
   • Who pays Fortnite players who opened thousands of chests — They spent hours before the chance of winning, 1:137,500 a chest, was published. [4]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Epic's odds will stay as printed.

     Epic says Treasure Hours can raise them, and it gave one example for the night it posted them. [4]

   Good news

   • After a week of players asking for it, Epic published the exact odds for every prize in Fortnite's treasure season.

   What comes next

   Epic says the odds can be higher during its Treasure Hours, such as 1.5 times for Pirate Shop access. [4]

2. 03

   Godzilla Minus Zero makes $63 million worldwide

   What happened

   • Godzilla Minus Zero, a Japanese monster film, took $63 million worldwide in its opening weekend. [5]
   • It made an estimated $31.6 million in North America and $31.4 million elsewhere. [5]
   • That beat Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, an Indian epic, which took $55.7 million worldwide. [6]
   • In Japan it has taken 2.7 billion yen, about $17 million, since Tuesday. [6]
   • It is the biggest North American opening for a live-action film not in English. [8] The old record, Hero, opened at $17.8 million in 2002. [8]
   • About 74% of its North American money came from Imax and other premium large screens. [7] The Odyssey reached 54%. [7]
   • Toho, the Japanese company behind the film, distributes it in North America through GKIDS. [8] Its opening beat the mid-to-low $20 million its US distributor had projected. [5]

   Why it matters

   Foreign-language films rarely do this well in North America unless they are anime, Polygon says. [7]

   The truth

   • Who gains GKIDS and Toho — A film not in English took the biggest North American opening of its kind. [8]
3. 04

   Actors say an AI sequel replaced the film they joined

   What happened

   • Cast members of the 1985 zombie film Return of the Living Dead say an AI-made sequel has shocked them. [9]
   • Richard Driscoll crowdfunded a sequel on Indiegogo in 2024, with stars from the original film attached. [9]
   • On Halloween he published The Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath, almost entirely made by AI. [9]
   • The cast did not film it, yet their likenesses appear in it, Kotaku reports. [9]
   • Original star Beverly Randolph told a podcast: "This is not what we signed up for." [9]

   How it unfolded

   1. 2024 Crowdfunding opens
   2. Halloween AI film goes online

   Why it matters

   Linnea Quigley, another star and a producer, said she warned the maker off AI. [9] She called the film a fiasco. [9]

   Randolph urges backers to ask their card companies for refunds. [9] She also asks Amazon, MGM's owner, to take legal action. [9]

   How it works

   Lawyers call it the right of publicity: a person's control over the commercial use of their name and face.

   Night of the Living Dead, from 1968, fell into the public domain, so anyone may build on it. [9] Return of the Living Dead did not. [9]

   The cast's likenesses appear in Aftermath, though they did not film it, Kotaku reports. [9]

   Seen it before

   A photo of your friend is yours to keep, but printing it on T-shirts to sell needs their say.

   The truth

   • Kotaku's report carries no reply from Driscoll. [9]
   • Who pays Backers of the Living Dead sequel — They paid for a film with its original cast and got one the cast did not make. [9]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether any court will rule on the AI-made Living Dead film.

     One cast member has urged Amazon to act, and no case has been reported. [9]

1. 05

   Nicolas Cage says he refused Amazon's AI waiver

   What happened

   • Prime Video cancelled Spider-Noir, a superhero series, after one season. [26]
   • Its star Nicolas Cage told IGN he was relieved. [26] He said: "You never wanna get stuck repeating a character". [26]
   • Nielsen, which measures viewing, counted 2.6 billion minutes in its first six weeks. [26]
   • It won 5 of its 11 Emmy nominations. [26]

   Why it matters

   Last month Cage said at a comic fair that Amazon asked him to sign an AI waiver. [26] A waiver lets a studio use AI on a performance. [26]

   How it works

   Lawyers call a paper like this a release: written permission to use a performance.

   Cage says he "didn't sign the waiver". [26] On his account, Amazon never got that permission. [26]

   Seen it before

   Lending your bike needs your yes, and a note of it settles any argument later.

   Why an old zombie film is free to reuse but its actors' faces are not

   Lawyers call it the right of publicity: a film's copyright can end, while a person keeps a say over how their own face is used.

   The twist

   When a film's copyright ends, the film's story becomes free to use. The faces of the people in it do not.

   The picture

   Night of the Living Deadpublic domain

   vsvs

   An actor's faceneeds consent

   Step by step

   1. 1 A film's copyright can run out
   2. 2 Then anyone may reuse the story
   3. 3 A person's face is a different right
   4. 4 Using it to sell needs the person's say

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • Nicolas Cage and Amazon's AI waiver

     Amazon had to ask him for written permission to use AI on his performance, and he said he never signed.

   Where you've seen this

   Sports video games

   a player's face and name are licensed by contract, even when the sport's rules are free for anyone to copy

   Advertising

   a firm may use a public-domain song in an advert, but a lookalike of a famous person can land it in court

   Old photographs

   a photo's copyright can expire while the people in it, or their families, can still object to its use

   The catch

   These rights differ from country to country and from US state to state, and AI copies of faces are new enough that many courts have not yet ruled on them.

   And the whole of it

   An actor, a crowdfunder, a backer and a lawyer each hold one small piece of this film. None of them can see the whole of what a face is now worth. Most people who have ever been filmed are in the same position.

   The truth

   • Variety says Amazon "allegedly" asked, and prints no reply from Amazon. [26]

1. 06

   Epic's launcher to reach Valve's SteamOS

   What happened

   • Epic Games has confirmed its new Linux launcher will support SteamOS. [10]
   • SteamOS is the Linux-based system Valve puts on the Steam Deck, its handheld PC. [10]
   • Epic's communications director said it plans to support Fedora, SteamOS and other Linux versions. [10]
   • The launcher is still in preview, an unfinished test version. [10]

   Why it matters

   That does not mean Fortnite will run there. [10] Epic's anti-cheat software is still the open question. [10]

   How it works

   Software engineers call this a dependency: one program cannot run until another piece it needs works.

   Epic has said the Steam Deck lacks features its anti-cheat needs, and that it is talking with Valve. [10]

   Seen it before

   A phone charger only helps if the plug fits your phone.

   The truth

   • Epic has given no date for Fortnite on SteamOS. [10]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Fortnite will ever run on the Steam Deck.

     Epic's anti-cheat needs features the Steam Deck lacks, and Epic says only that it is talking with Valve. [10]

2. 07

   A streaming show sells cinema tickets

   What happened

   • Heated Rivalry, an ice hockey romance series, has taken $1.4 million in US cinemas nearly a year after it streamed. [11]
   • Regal, the cinema chain distributing it, is showing it in 945 cinemas until 30 November. [11]
   • Viewers pick one of three pairs of episodes, at $9.99 a showing. [11] The average film ticket costs $12.87. [11]
   • It streamed on HBO Max in the US from November 2025. [11]
   • Episodes averaged more than 10 million viewers once it took off. [11]

   How it unfolded

   1. Nov 2025 On HBO Max
   2. This month In cinemas

   Why it matters

   Regal said it wants fans to see it together before Season 2 arrives in 2027. [11]

   An analyst told Variety that cinemas could keep popular series in mind between seasons. [11]

   How it works

   Film marketers call this event cinema: selling an evening out, not a new film.

   Fans could watch at home, yet paid $9.99 to sit with other fans. [11]

   Seen it before

   People buy tickets to a football match they could watch at home.

   The truth

   • Who gains Regal, the US cinema chain — It sold $9.99 tickets to a show people can already stream at home. [11]
3. 08

   WoW: Forever's launch ran on 3,924 virtual machines

   What happened

   • Blizzard ran World of Warcraft: Forever's launch on 3,924 virtual machines, Tom's Hardware reports. [12]
   • That means 70,480 computer cores and 251 terabytes of memory. [12]
   • In 2009 the game ran on 75,000 cores and 112.5 terabytes of memory. [12]
   • So Forever uses 6% fewer cores but about 2.2 times the memory. [12]
   • Blizzard says the launch had the most new players for a WoW launch in 15 years. [13]

   Why it matters

   Tom's Hardware says memory is now the limit, not processor cores, so a modern game needs more of it. [12]

   How it works

   Engineers call this the bottleneck: the one part that sets how much the whole system can do.

   Blizzard's servers fit fewer cores because each is faster, but they needed more than double the memory. [12]

   Seen it before

   A wider road does not help a town whose one bridge is still too narrow.

   The truth

   • Blizzard has not shared player numbers. [13]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many people played World of Warcraft: Forever at launch.

     Blizzard claims records but has not shared player numbers. [13]

4. 09

   Spy x Family gets a fourth season and a film

   What happened

   • Spy x Family, a hit anime about a spy's fake family, gets a fourth season in 2027. [14]
   • Toho, the Japanese studio behind it, is also lining up a film for cinemas in Japan in 2027. [14]
   • The staff announced both on Sunday. [15]
   • The anime first aired in 2022, its second season came in 2023, and its third in October 2025. [15]
   • Tatsuya Endo's manga reached its 18th book on 4 November. [15]

   How it unfolded

   1. 2022 First season
   2. 2023 Second
   3. Oct 2025 Third

   Why it matters

   Toho runs film production, distribution and cinemas, so it earns at several steps of one release. [14]

   How it works

   Economists call this vertical integration: one company owning several stages of making and selling a product.

   A film Toho makes can play in Toho's own cinemas, so the ticket money stays inside the company. [14]

   Seen it before

   A bakery that sells its own bread keeps the shop's share as well as the baker's.

   What comes next

   Toho said dates and story details will come later. [14]

5. 10

   Short drama makers explain how they hold viewers

   What happened

   • Makers of microdramas, very short series watched on phones, described their business at a Taipei festival. [16]
   • Bump is a Japanese app. [16] It tracks how many people leave in an episode's first 30 seconds. [16]
   • It also checks who moves on to Episode 2. [16]
   • A 25-episode Bump series lasts about 45 minutes in all and can be filmed in 4 days. [16]
   • Bump has 20 to 30 projects in production at once. [16]

   Why it matters

   Iki Dakika, a Turkish studio, says it has worked with around 30 brands, written into its story worlds. [16]

   How it works

   Product analysts call this a retention curve: how many viewers remain at each moment.

   Bump shapes its first episode around who stays past 30 seconds. [16] It makes villains infuriating so viewers want to see them punished. [16]

   Seen it before

   A teacher sees which part of the lesson the class stops listening at.

6. 11

   Blood Bowl slips to early 2027

   What happened

   • Slitherine has delayed Warhammer Blood Bowl, a fantasy football game, from 2026 into early 2027. [17]
   • It told fans at the Dominion Days showcase in Berlin. [17]
   • Slitherine said the latest playtest showed the game needs more polish. [17]
   • It said "disappointing the fans is not an option". [17]

   How it unfolded

   1. 2026 Full release planned
   2. Early 2027 New target

   Why it matters

   Everyone who owns Blood Bowl 3 will get the new game free, keeping teams they paid for. [17]

   Two new teams, the Tomb Kings and Bretonnians, join the base game at no charge. [17]

   How it works

   Designers call this playtesting: strangers try a game so its problems show before it is sold.

   Slitherine's playtest is still running, and a new Arena mode was added to it, testing 10 matches in a row. [17]

   Seen it before

   A cook tastes the soup before the guests sit down.

7. 12

   A report says Assassin's Creed Hexe is pushed back

   What happened

   • Ubisoft's next main Assassin's Creed game, Hexe, has been delayed by another year, Insider Gaming reports. [18]
   • Insider Gaming cites unnamed sources and says a 2028 release is now likelier. [18]
   • Hexe was announced with Assassin's Creed Shadows more than 4 years ago. [18]

   How it unfolded

   1. Over 4 years ago Hexe announced
   2. This year Two leaders leave
   3. 2028 Likely release

   Why it matters

   Its creative director Clint Hocking left this year. [18] Its game director Benoit Richer left two months later. [18]

   The truth

   • Ubisoft has not confirmed the delay, GamesRadar says. [18]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Assassin's Creed Hexe has really slipped to 2028.

     The report rests on unnamed sources and Ubisoft has not confirmed it. [18]

8. 13

   Netflix gets two more anime based on manga

   What happened

   • Netflix will stream Hirayasumi, an anime from Keigo Shinzo's manga, outside Japan in January. [19]
   • Viz Media, a comics publisher, announced it. [19]
   • Fool Night, based on a manga by Kasumi Yasuda, reaches Netflix worldwide on 26 November. [20]
   • Two animation studios, Sunrise and SHAFT, are making Fool Night. [20]
   • The manga's 14th book comes out on 30 November. [20]

   How it unfolded

   1. 26 Nov Fool Night streams worldwide
   2. January Hirayasumi streams abroad

   Why it matters

   Both shows start as comics already printed in Japan, and reach viewers abroad through Netflix. [19][20]

9. 14

   Phasmophobia players raise over $230,000 for heart charity

   What happened

   • Players of Phasmophobia, a ghost-hunting game, raised more than $230,000 for the American Heart Association. [21]
   • Last year's event raised a little over $100,000. [21]
   • More than 500 streamers took part, between 26 October and 2 November. [21]
   • Kinetic Games, its maker, unlocked a reward for all players once the $200,000 target was passed. [21]

   Why it matters

   That is the biggest turnout yet for the charity's streaming drive. [21]

   Good news

   • Players of Phasmophobia, a ghost-hunting game, raised more than $230,000 for the American Heart Association, more than twice last year's total.
10. 15

    Man charged after leaving child in Pokemon card line

    What happened

    • A 35-year-old South Carolina man was arrested, accused of leaving his 6-year-old daughter asleep in a shop queue overnight. [22]
    • Police say he went home after 1am, leaving her asleep in line outside a Target store. [22]
    • Witnesses called police after he did not return for an hour. [22]
    • Police arrived at about 2:30am and the girl was unharmed. [22]
    • He was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child. [22]

    How it unfolded

    1. After 1am Girl left asleep
    2. 2:30am Police arrive

    Why it matters

    A newly released set of Pokemon cards had drawn fans to queue overnight. [22]

11. 16

    Jackbox says people, not AI, write its games

    What happened

    • Jackbox Games, maker of party quiz games, says it will not use AI to replace writers and artists. [23]
    • Its chief executive Mike Bilder told PC Gamer that people do the comedy, writing and art. [23] He said "we have no intention of changing that". [23]
    • He said AI can help with research tools. [23] Jackbox will not use it to make finished art or writing. [23]

    Why it matters

    PC Gamer's writer says obvious AI art would damage the value of Jackbox's jokes and pictures. [23]

12. 17

    My Hero Ultra Rumble is coming to phones

    What happened

    • Bandai Namco confirmed a mobile version of My Hero Ultra Rumble, its battle game based on a superhero anime. [24]
    • The game came out in September 2023 on consoles and PC. [24]
    • Each match has 8 teams of 3 players. [24]
    • An earlier phone game from the series, My Hero Ultra Impact, ran from February 2022 to 18 May. [24]

    How it unfolded

    1. Sep 2023 Consoles and PC
    2. Soon Phones
    3. Feb 2022 Ultra Impact opens
    4. 18 May It closes

    Why it matters

    So Bandai Namco is bringing the series back to phones months after its last phone game closed. [24]

13. 18

    Skyrim's designer credits keeping the team together

    What happened

    • Bruce Nesmith, lead designer of the game Skyrim, says it worked because its team stayed together. [25]
    • Nesmith said the team that made Oblivion went on to make Skyrim. [25]
    • He said staff "could hit the ground running" because nobody had to learn what an Elder Scrolls game was. [25]
    • He gave the interview to The Examined Game, a YouTube channel. [25]

    Why it matters

    PC Gamer notes Bethesda kept the Oblivion team together when that game shipped. [25]

    How it works

    Nesmith calls it institutional knowledge: what a team learned by doing the work together. [25]

    Nesmith says a good sequel usually keeps a share of its staff. [25]

    Seen it before

    A football team that has played together for years does not need to learn each other's runs.