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CS2 Pro H4rn Calls Out FACEIT Over Prize Money Dispute

Sonu Banerjee
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CS2 Pro H4rn Calls Out FACEIT Over Prize Money Dispute

Bulgarian Counter-Strike 2 pro Deyvid “h4rn” Benchev has publicly called out FACEIT for significant delays and mishandling of his $7,500 USD prize money from FACEIT Pro League (FPL) 2026.

Through a detailed X post uploaded on May 18, 2026, h4rn expressed his frustration towards the CS2 matchmaking platform after grinding hard to win the monthly leaderboard, only to face months of waiting and administrative errors.

As claimed by h4rn, he had updated his bank account details by filling out a form in December 2025 after requesting a change. Despite confirmation and a successful smaller payment to the new account, the main $7,500 USD prize money from FPL 2026, which was finally processed in April 2026 after repeated delays, was sent to his old Revolut account that he no longer has access to.

FACEIT admins reportedly went silent afterward, with their last response coming over two weeks prior to his public post.

“It is unacceptable and sad,” h4rn wrote on his X handle. “I grinded really hard, waited 5 months for it to be sent and it’s send to [the] wrong bank account.”

The CS2 pro emphasized loving the platform but urged FACEIT to improve its payment processes.

H4rn, a multiple-time FPL champion and former top-ranked EU CS2 player, currently plays as an AWPer for Acend Club.

FACEIT has not issued a public response to h4rn’s accusations at the time of writing.

BGMI 4.4 Update Release Date and Time Officially Announced

Aditya Parsutkar
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BGMI 4.4 Update Release Date and Time Officially Announced

Krafton India has officially confirmed the release date and rollout timings for the highly anticipated BGMI 4.4 update. The upcoming update is inspired by Greek heroes and mythology, bringing a completely fresh experience for players. From themed villages and giant statues to powerful abilities and special boss fights, the update is set to introduce major changes across the game.

Players will also notice references to legendary Greek characters like Achilles and Icarus in the new themed mode. Here is everything you need to know about the BGMI 4.4 update release date, rollout timings, and new features.

BGMI 4.4 Update Release Date and Time

Krafton India has confirmed that the BGMI 4.4 update will release on 20 May 2026 with a phased rollout across all platforms. For Android users on the Google Play Store, the update will begin with a 30% rollout at 06:30 IST, followed by a 50% rollout at 09:30 IST, while the full rollout will go live at 11:30 IST. iOS users on the Apple App Store will receive the complete update at 11:30 IST. Meanwhile, players downloading the update from the official BGMI website will be able to access it from 12:30 IST onwards.

Google Play Store Rollout

  • 30% Rollout – 06:30 IST
  • 50% Rollout – 09:30 IST
  • 100% Full Rollout – 11:30 IST

Apple App Store Rollout

  • 100% Full Release – 11:30 IST

Official Website Release

  • Full Release – 12:30 IST

Players are advised to keep enough storage space available before downloading the latest BGMI update.

Read More: India’s Two Slots for Esports World Cup 2026 Explained: KIE Rankings and BMPS 2026 Key

Greek Theme Mode

The biggest highlight of the BGMI new update is the brand-new Greek mythology-themed mode. The update introduces several new locations, statues, and themed villages in Erangel. These places are designed with ancient Greek architecture and visuals, giving players a completely different battle royale experience.

A new gameplay feature called Heroes Crown is also arriving in the update. In this mode, squads need to complete five different trials and earn honor points during matches. The top four teams from Erangel will qualify for the next stage of the challenge.

Players can also activate special boss fights during matches, making gameplay more competitive and action-packed.

The BGMI 4.4 update introduces three special abilities that can completely change fights during matches.

This ability gives players a double dash skill, helping them rush enemies quickly or escape dangerous situations.

Players can deploy a protective shield around themselves using the Spartan Flag ability.

Wax Wings allow players to glide and fly around certain areas of the map, making movement faster and more exciting.

These new abilities are expected to bring fast-paced combat and fresh strategies to the game.

Several maps are also receiving visual and gameplay updates. Erangel will feature Greek-style villages, statues, and themed structures. Pochinki will receive special themed items, including a Spartan Helmet.

Meanwhile, the Livik spawn island is also getting changes where players can explore and interact before entering matches.

With new powers, boss fights, and Greek mythology-inspired content, the BGMI 4.4 update is shaping up to be one of the biggest updates released by Krafton India.

PS Plus Price Increase May 2026: New Subscriber Costs Rise From May 20

Yash More
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PS Plus Price Increase May 2026: New Subscriber Costs Rise From May 20

Sony just slapped a price tag bump on PlayStation Plus, and the timing is brutal — it hits two days from now. The good news? Most existing subscribers can dodge it if they play their cards right.

The PS Plus price increase kicks in on May 20, 2026, and the company confirmed it on the official PlayStation account on X earlier today. New subscribers in the US, Eurozone, and UK markets will be the first to feel the pinch. Everyone else? It depends on a few factors.

Here is what is changing, who has to pay more, and how to lock in the old rate while you still can.

What new PS Plus subscribers will pay from May 20

Sony has confirmed the new prices for PS Plus Essential, the entry-level tier most people sign up for. Both short-term plans are going up.

  • 1-month Essential: $10.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 (up from $9.99 / €8.99 / £6.99)
  • 3-month Essential: $27.99 / €27.99 / £21.99

That works out to about a $1 monthly bump for US users on the cheapest plan. The 3-month plan takes a sharper hit, jumping by $3.

The 12-month Essential subscription is not part of this hike, which probably is not an accident. Sony almost certainly wants more people parked on annual billing.

Existing subscribers get a pass – with strings attached

Here is the loophole. If you are already subscribed, your current rate sticks around. Sony confirmed the new pricing does not apply to existing subscribers — as long as nothing changes on the account.

But the moment your subscription lapses, gets cancelled, or you switch tiers, the new pricing locks in. There is no going back to the old rate after that. So if you were thinking about pausing your sub for a few months to save cash, do the math first.

Anyone planning to renew should probably do it before Wednesday. A 12-month renewal at the current rate would buy you another full year of protection from this hike.

Turkey and India are getting hit no matter what

Not every existing subscriber gets the grandfathering deal. Sony specifically called out Turkey and India as exceptions. Subscribers in both countries will see the new prices applied immediately, regardless of how long they have been on the service.

Sony did not explain why those two markets were singled out. It also has not published a full country-by-country list, but the currencies named in the announcement — USD, EUR, GBP — make it clear that the US, eurozone countries, and the UK are the primary targets in this round.

This caps a long year of PlayStation price hikes

The PS Plus bump did not come out of nowhere. Sony has been steadily raising prices across nearly every part of its gaming business for the past 12 months.

Hardware took two hits. Sony raised PS5 prices in the US back in August 2025. Then in March, the company announced another, more global hardware price hike covering the PS5 and the PlayStation Portal — the PS5 Pro alone jumped to $899, a $200 climb from launch.

Subscriptions got reworked too. Over the past year, PS Plus prices were already adjusted across Latin America, Southeast Asia, Australia, Canada, and South Korea. May 20 just extends that pattern to the biggest remaining markets.

There was also the PlayStation Store dynamic pricing controversy in March, when users discovered the storefront was showing different people different sale prices for the same games. Sony never directly addressed that one. Add it all together and PS Plus subscribers have had a rough year on pricing transparency.

Why now, and what Sony is officially saying

The reason Sony gave is vague: “ongoing market conditions.” That is corporate-speak that could mean anything from currency volatility to chip costs to flat-out wanting better margins. The last comparable global PS Plus hike was in 2023, when Sony raised subscription prices by roughly 35% across all tiers.

What is interesting is what Sony did not announce. There is no mention of PS Plus Extra or PS Plus Premium pricing changes. Those tiers appear safe — for now. Whether that holds long-term is another question. Few subscription services have raised the bottom tier without eventually touching the rest.

What to do before May 20

You have a small window. If you are not yet subscribed and want PS Plus, locking in a 12-month plan at the current rate before Wednesday is the cheapest move available. If you are already subscribed, do not let your plan lapse — that is the only way the new pricing reaches you outside Turkey and India.

For everything else PlayStation-related — including this month’s free PS Plus Essential games and Sony’s expanding cloud gaming push via PlayStation Portal — keep an eye on TalkEsport. The PS6 is rumored to land in the next couple of years, and pricing rumors there are already getting wild.

Ex-Valve Writer Chet Faliszek Says He’d Never Write Half-Life 3

Aritra Patra
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Ex-Valve Writer Chet Faliszek Says He’d Never Write Half-Life 3

Chet Faliszek, who co-wrote Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two at Valve, says he would not go near the Half-Life franchise again. In a video posted to his YouTube channel on May 15, 2026, he responded to a viewer who claimed that writing Half-Life 3 “would be so incredibly easy” because “the plot could go anywhere.”

Faliszek’s reply? He wouldn’t touch it “with a 10-foot pole.”

He Was Responding to a Specific Comment

Before saying anything, Faliszek made sure to clarify his intent. He opened the video by stating: “This is not saying that something’s happening, not trying to allude to anything. I’m going to talk about some stuff from like 10-plus years ago. I’m not trying to say anything. OK?”

That context matters. Former Valve developers live in a strange position where anything they say about Half-Life gets read as a hidden announcement. Faliszek was clearly trying to get ahead of that.

The comment he was responding to came from TikTok, where a viewer had written: “It would be so incredibly easy to make a Half-Life 3. It wouldn’t even be hard. The plot could go anywhere.” Faliszek disagreed.

Why He Finds Established Lore So Uncomfortable

His objection is not about Half-Life specifically. It is about sequels in general, and what deep lore does to a writer’s creative freedom.

He referenced conversations he once had with Bungie about potentially working on one of its games. He said: “All their games have this, they have so much lore, they have so much lore, and I’m like, that lore terrifies me. I have no idea, I don’t know that much lore about my own life, let alone your game’s. I don’t want to have to write inside of that. Any sequel to me is just a disaster nightmare that I never want to do. So I’m not going to.”

That is a pretty direct statement. Faliszek is not saying Half-Life 3 is impossible for Valve to make. He is saying he personally does not want to be the person who has to write it.

The Grav Gun Quote

He then turned his attention back to Half-Life, and he did not hold back.

“No. I don’t want to touch that with a 10-foot pole. Or even a grav gun separating me from that 10-foot pole. A grav gun to a 10-foot pole, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it with Dog’s arms.”

Dog, for the uninitiated, is the giant robot companion built by Alyx Vance in Half-Life 2. The reference shows Faliszek still knows the lore well enough to use it as a joke. He just does not want to write inside it.

Faliszek left Valve in 2017. He has no current role at the studio, so his comments carry no bearing on whether Valve is actually developing Half-Life 3.

Half-Life 3 has been a subject of speculation for over two decades. The first two games are widely regarded as among the greatest ever made. Valve released the VR spin-off Half-Life: Alyx in 2020, which indicated the studio still had plans for the universe, but no mainline sequel has been announced. It has now been 22 years since Half-Life 2 launched.

Faliszek’s comments do not close that door. They just confirm that, if the door ever opens, he will not be the one walking through it.

ARISE Esports Alleges NODWIN Gaming Managed VCSA 2026 Allowed Riot-Banned Player to Compete

Divyesh Moghe
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ARISE Esports Alleges NODWIN Gaming Managed VCSA 2026 Allowed Riot-Banned Player to Compete

A serious competitive integrity complaint has surfaced against a team in the Valorant Challengers South Asia 2026 circuit. ARISE Esports India has publicly alleged that a participating team was allegedly allowed to continue competing in VCSA despite one of their players receiving a Riot ban for cheating – and that prior reports of suspicious account switching had reportedly gone unaddressed by tournament management.

What Was Alleged

ARISE Esports India posted the allegations on X, stating that a team in the Riot-sanctioned VCSA South Asia tournament was reportedly permitted to keep playing even after one of their players was issued a Riot ban for cheating. They also claimed to have flagged suspicious account-switching behaviour to tournament management earlier, and that those concerns were reportedly ignored at the time.

Neither Riot Games nor NODWIN Gaming, which organises VCSA in partnership with Riot, has publicly responded to the allegations at the time of writing. TalkEsport has reached out for comment. The tournament management’s position on both claims is unknown. The identity of the team and the banned player have not been publicly named in the complaint.

What VCSA 2026 Is and Why It Matters

VCSA 2026 is organised by NODWIN Gaming in partnership with Riot Games and serves as the official competitive pathway for South Asian teams aiming to reach the VCT Last Chance Qualifier. It is the highest-stakes domestic Valorant competition in the region. The 2025 edition drew over 12 million views with a peak of 50,000 concurrent viewers, and Velocity Gaming secured a VCT Ascension Pacific slot through the circuit.

For teams competing in VCSA, the implications of a result go beyond domestic standing. Placement in the circuit directly determines which South Asian team earns the right to compete internationally, making the competitive integrity of every series critical.

Riot’s Competitive Rules on Banned Players

Riot’s competitive policies are clear on this point. All players competing in any Riot-sanctioned Valorant event are required to agree to the Global Code of Conduct. Players who receive a Riot ban for cheating are ineligible to compete in official tournaments for the duration of that ban.

Riot’s own rulebook states that the anti-cheat team works directly with tournament operators to review suspicious behaviour during competitive events, and that players pursuing unfair tactics are to be identified and removed. If the allegation is accurate and a banned player was allowed to continue competing, that would represent a breach of this framework.

Tournament operators are also expected to enforce roster compliance. Account switching, as separately alleged by ARISE, raises questions under Riot’s rules around player identity verification and account ownership during sanctioned play.

This Is Not a New Problem for Indian Valorant

Competitive integrity concerns in Indian Valorant esports are not without precedent. In 2021, a player named Xhade was caught using cheats during a professional match, later admitting to using wallhacks during a livestream. Before that, the CS:GO scene was rocked in 2018 by the Nikhil “forsaken” Kumawat scandal, when a player for OpTic India was caught using an aimbot at the eXTREMESLAND Finals – an incident that caused franchises including Fnatic and Team Liquid to reconsider entering the Indian market entirely.

Each of those incidents sparked the same community debate: that a failure to enforce competitive integrity domestically damages India’s credibility when teams reach international stages. The ARISE Esports post made this argument directly, stating that “India gets embarrassed on bigger stages because competitive integrity isn’t taken seriously.”

Whether or not that characterisation is fair to the broader scene, the concern it reflects is genuine. India has been building legitimate international representation in Valorant for years, with Global Esports qualifying for VCT Masters London 2026 as the first Indian organisation to reach a Masters event. Any question about whether domestic competition is clean undermines that work.

What Needs to Happen Next

The allegations from ARISE Esports India are, at this point, a public complaint from a competing organisation. They have not been verified by Riot Games or NODWIN. The named team has not responded publicly. No official investigation has been announced.

For the allegations to be resolved credibly, either NODWIN or Riot Games needs to acknowledge the complaint and clarify what action, if any, was taken when the account-switching behaviour was first reported. If a banned player was indeed permitted to compete, the question of how that was missed or overlooked requires a formal answer – not just for the teams involved, but for the legitimacy of the entire VCSA circuit.

Competitive integrity is not a footnote in an esports ecosystem. It is the product itself.

PGL Astana Hits 1.16 Million Concurrent Viewership

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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PGL Astana Hits 1.16 Million Concurrent Viewership

PGL Astana 2026 has finally come to an end, with Spirit cruising to their first trophy of the season. The event itself reached a historic milestone in terms of concurrent viewership, hitting a staggering 1.16 million. According to data from Esports Charts, the event is now the most-watched esports tournament ever hosted in Kazakhstan and PGL’s most successful non-Major Counter-Strike event to date.

The tournament’s hype was largely driven by big storylines that pulled the community to the screens more so than usual, which helped achieve incredible numbers that would have otherwise been difficult to reach. The likes of 9z and magic pulled off unexpected upsets, which surprised many, and on the contrary, the likes of MongolZ and PARIVISION failed to reach the playoffs.

Photo via Esports Charts

The playoffs went just as critics expected, but with the right amount of drama that would make the event more exciting than ever. Falcons had all the eyes on them, having bagged Karrigan to take the team to where it belongs, and on the other hand, Spirit cruised through the bracket like they had a point to prove. Falcons showcased incredible tenacity, beating FURIA and following it up with a convincing 2-0 win over Magic. Spirit had a smooth road leading up to the finals, a setup that would put the two best players of the tournament in m0NESY and donk head-to-head.

Most Viewed Match

Photo via Esports Charts

With Falcons and Spirit going toe to toe in the Grand Finals, Falcons’ star AWPer m0NESY fell a little short, but the prospect of their clash pulled millions to the screen. Despite Donk coming out on top, m0NESY had a fair share of people backing him, and if both teams can continue their momentum in the Major, we might see IEM Cologne Major shatter all records in Counter-Strike.

How to Watch The Mandalorian and Grogu Free on Fortnite and Get Rewards

Sonu Banerjee
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How to Watch The Mandalorian and Grogu Free on Fortnite and Get Rewards

Star Wars fans, you may not wanna miss out on this. Epic Games has officially teamed up with Lucasfilm to bring an unmissable experience to Fortnite, and it won’t cost you a single V-Buck to join it.

The devs behind the popular battle royale have organized a screening of the upcoming film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, ahead of its official release in the theatres, giving Fortnite players an opportunity to get a sneak peek at the movie while also getting some juicy rewards.

Fortnite The Mandalorian and Grogu Screening Date

Epic Games has confirmed that Fortnite players will be able to hop on The Mandalorian and Grogu Watch Party Island on May 19 at 10 AM ET, and watch the first 10 minutes of the movie for free.

Note that this exclusive Fortnite screening is scheduled three days before the film opens in theaters on May 22.

How to Join The Mandalorian and Grogu Fortnite Watch Party

Fortnite players can join The Mandalorian and Grogu screening on the aforementioned date and time via the official UEFN island for the event. You can find the event in the Discover menu after loading into Fortnite.

The island has been modeled after Nevarro, the planet from the Disney+ series, where players will be able to see a full amphitheater with a large screen at its center.

All you need to do to join the event is log in for the dedicated matchmaking and explore the island.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Fortnite Watch Party Rewards

Players who spend 20 minutes on the UEFN island will unlock the exclusive Mandalorian Sanctuary Loading Screen for free.

While there are no free costumes or any other cosmetics tied to the event, it’s still a worthwhile collectible for any Star Wars fan out there.

Team Heretics Wins VCT EMEA Stage 1 2026

Aritra Patra
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Team Heretics Wins VCT EMEA Stage 1 2026

Team Heretics defeated Team Vitality 3-2 in the grand final of VCT EMEA Stage 1 on May 17, 2026, claiming their first official VCT regional title. The match lasted over five hours at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin.

The series went the full five maps. Vitality won Breeze 13-10, Heretics took Lotus 15-13, Vitality claimed Pearl 13-7, and Heretics won Split 13-11 before closing out on Haven 15-13.

Six Finals, One Title

This was Heretics’ sixth VCT grand final appearance, and their first win. Aside from their Esports World Cup 2025 title, Heretics had reached five VCT finals without lifting the trophy. That run made them one of the more frustrating stories in Valorant esports, consistently good enough to reach the last match, but never getting past it.

The Spanish organization had a difficult start to the season. After a disappointing Kickoff event and an inconsistent beginning to Stage 1, few expected them to make a deep run. They secured three straight wins in the group stage to earn a playoff spot, then lost to Eternal Fire in the opening round of the bracket.

From there, Heretics won five consecutive matches through the lower bracket, including a hard series against Fnatic, to reach the grand final.

Heretics will now go to Masters London as the EMEA first seed, earning a direct bye into the playoff stage. The Masters London begins on June 6.

For Heretics, this is their first international appearance since finishing 5th-6th at Valorant Champions 2025. They go in as the top EMEA representative, with the full squad healthy and a title behind them for the first time.

Forza Horizon 6 Release Date and Time

Sonu Banerjee
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Forza Horizon 6 Release Date and Time

The official global release of Forza Horizon 6, one of the most anticipated racing games of all time, is just around the corner, and fans of the genre across the world are counting down the days until they can finally hit the open road once again.

The sixth main entry in the beloved Horizon series takes players to Japan, a destination that has been at the very top of fans’ wish lists for years. At the time of the game’s release, players will have access to a roster of over 550 real-world cars, with those pre-ordering any edition receiving an exclusive Ferrari J50 as a bonus.

The game will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass for both console and PC subscribers, while PlayStation 5 users will be able to tune into the game later in 2026.

But when exactly will Forza Horizon 6 release? If you’re here looking for the exact release date and time for Forza Horizon 6, we’ve got you covered.

Forza Horizon 6 Release Date and Time

The Advanced Access for Forza Horizon 6 is already live, and players can get started with the game right away by paying extra for the Premium Edition.

However, if you’re looking to wait till the official release, you can save up a good chunk of money by getting the Standard Edition instead.

With that being said, Forza Horizon 6 will officially release on the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass on May 19, 2026, at midnight local time.

If you want to play the title on Steam, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Forza Horizon 6 goes live on Steam on May 19, 2026, at 4 AM UTC.

Here’s when that translates to across major time zones worldwide:

Region / Time ZoneRelease Time
Los Angeles (PDT)9:00 PM (May 18)
New York (EDT)12:00 AM
Brazil (BRT)1:00 AM
London (BST)5:00 AM
Paris / Berlin (CEST)6:00 AM
Dubai (GST)8:00 AM
India (IST)9:30 AM
Bangkok / Jakarta (ICT)11:00 AM
Beijing / Singapore (CST/SGT)12:00 PM
Tokyo / Seoul (JST/KST)1:00 PM
Sydney (AEST)2:00 PM
Auckland (NZST)4:00 PM

That’s everything you need to know about the Forza Horizon 6 release date and time.

Team Spirit Wins PGL Astana 2026

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
Team Spirit Wins PGL Astana 2026

Team Spirit are the winners of PGL Astana, beating Falcons with a perfect 3-0 scoreline with total domination across Dust2, Mirage, and Ancient.

Despite the Falcons starting strong, Spirit built up throughout the first map, after which they continued to dominate. Falcons’ failure to put up anything convincing gave Spirit the room to run away with the game in all three maps. Few signs of contest in the first map, followed by back-to-back weak performances, concluded the Falcons’ performance in the Grand Finals.

Absence of Vitality put Spirit in prime position to bag this trophy, which they have done dominantly, and having been criticised for not finding their footing, even the likes of Donk, they have won a premier trophy ahead of the Major. Not only does this relieve the pressure on their backs ahead of the big event, but Spirit will have the faith in their game rejuvenated off the back of this trophy.

Falcons, on the other hand, with a new skipper, showed signs of resilience across the event, only for the machine to fall in the Grand Finals. While they were not the favorites coming into the game, the likes of NiKo, preparing for the finals, were expected to give a better fight than what we saw in the final two maps.

Dust 2 saw Spirit somehow edging out a win with the Falcons going toe to toe with them, followed by Mirage, which saw Spirit truly come into their own, showing the Falcons that they were far from ready to play at the top level. Ancient, the final map, saw a Donk masterclass spearheading the Spirit offense, with Falcons failing to keep up. Quick work made of the Falcons in the final map closed a dominant Spirit win in the Grand Finals of PGL Astana.

Spirit has found its footing ahead of the Major, which places them as one of the favorites to win the event. Only time can tell if this performance can be carried over to the Major, but for now, they have their confidence brimming. As for the Falcons, the new IGL is expected to take time, but performance is hard to justify. Little time in hand if they want a serious shot at the upcoming Major, but performances like this make it look like this will be another one that will get away for NiKo.

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