Paradox Interactive responds to “gender discrimination and mistreatment”

Paradox responds to union-led survey revealing a culture of harassment

Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings developer Paradox Interactive are apparently struggling with a culture of “gender discrimination and mistreatment” according to a survey conducted by two of Sweden's employee unions.

"Offensive treatment is a systematic and far too common problem at Paradox," according to the report, and “perpetrators at managerial level” are protected by executives and a “culture of silence”.

• The survey was conducted in August by two unions
• 44% of 133 surveyed staff experienced mistreatment overall
• Highest dissatisfaction at Paradox’s Swedish operations
• 69% of female staff experienced abusive treatment

Unacceptable: Paradox has responded to the report, stating that the report is “obviously not satisfactory,” and that reappointed CEO Fredrik Wester will tackle the issue. Ebba Ljungerud was the CEO who took over from Wester in 2018, although she stepped down last week due to "differing views on the company's strategy going forward". Paradox Interactive told us that the two aren't related.

Immediate action: Wester said he “wants to ensure this data is acted upon,” and will be contacting an “external, neutral firm” to conduct a thorough audit and will look at “unbiased hiring” practices and other measures.

What PS2 launch title hid a D&D sketch in the game’s credits?

a) Silent Scope
b) Summoner
c) FantaVision
d) TimeSplitters

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate for PC and console

Sonic Team's Sonic Colors: Ultimate, a remastered version of the Wii classic, is out for PC and console this week alongside NBA 2K22 and WarioWare: Get It Together!

Tuesday – September 7th

• F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch for PC, PS4, PS5
• Sonic Colors: Ultimate for PC, NS, PS4, XBO

Thursday – September 9th

• The Artful Escape for PC, XBO, XSX
• Toy Soldiers HD for PC, NS, PS4, XBO

Friday – September 10th

• Life Is Strange: True Colors for PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX, Stadia
• Lost in Random for PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX
• NBA 2K22 for PC, NS, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX
• Tales of Arise for PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX
• WarioWare: Get It Together! for NS

Fireproof your gear in Breath of the Wild

If only you could get paid bug bounties for discovering glitches in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Yet another weird little glitch has been uncovered by fans investigating every little corner of the game's vast possibility space.

You can make weapons and other items fireproof by setting them on fire, planting a bomb, and then detonating it as you sheathe the weapon. Tada, fireproofed!

Asbestos: The glitch applies to any weapon that can be set on fire, including wooden ones. Different kinds of weapons have different properties, such as metal weapons attracting lightning strikes during thunderstorms.

Defy science: If you sheathe the weapon again afterward or teleport to another location, the offending flag appears to be cleared. The glitch won't work on Death Mountain either because of the temperature effects affecting your gear.

The Last Worker voice cast revealed

Writer and director Jorg Tittel has released a new video from his upcoming VR dystopia The Last Worker, and revealed the voice cast: Jason Isaacs, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Clare-Hope Ashitey and David Hewlett. The Last Worker is expected to launch next year.

Play MechWarrior 5 in VR

Now you can finally pilot a mech the way god intended: In glorious VR. The MechWarrior 5 VRWARRIOR mod supports a variety of Oculus and SteamVR headsets, and the mod features instructions for setting it up on any version of the game. Stomp forth, brave pilot!

Song in the Smoke not quite delayed

17-Bit is delaying Song in the Smoke a little – or rather, it appears they announced the wrong date for their “beautiful, yet deadly” prehistoric adventure. Song in the Smoke is coming to PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest later this year.

Mass publisher sale madness rages on

Can nothing stop Humble Bundle’s ceaseless price war!? Hopefully nothing short of an even pricier war. The Techland Publisher Week offers up to 75% off, and if that's not enough then the Merge Publisher Sale goes all-in with up to 80% off.

Graffiti Games Publisher Sale is no less impressive, matching the 80% discount but is left in the dust by the D3 Publisher Sale which slashes prices by up to 90% for its catalogue of Japanese games.

• Ubisoft are giving out free copies of Far Cry 3 on Ubisoft Connect for PC, and you've got until September 11th to claim your code
• Call of Duty: Vanguard multiplayer global reveal today as developers breakdown maps, modes, and features
• You can upgrade Horizon Forbidden West for free from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5, but future first-party upgrades will cost $10
• Fan-made Doom campaign for Age of Empires 2 on ModDB, turning the real-time strategy game into a third-person shooter
• The Pokémon Masters EX’s Johto Challenge begins in Champion Stadium and runs until October 10th for eligible trainers

What PS2 launch title hid a D&D sketch in the game’s credits?

ANSWER: Summoner!

The PlayStation 2 had a vast and varied game library, so it's hardly shocking that certain games have simply been forgotten. One of them is Volition's Summoner, an RPG the studio made before it made the big leagues with Saints Row. The most memorable thing about it is probably a little Easter egg hidden during its credits sequence.

If you press X while the credits roll, you are treated to a silly video where characters from the game (and one from Red Faction) play Satan's Game, better known as Dungeons & Dragons. The sketch was originally performed by the Dead Alewives, the 80s and 90s improv group most famous for inventing this skit. The dungeon master is played by none other than Dan Harmon, who would go on to produce shows like Community as well as Rick and Morty.

Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey. If you have any feedback or news tips for the team, please email us!