Creepy 'The Last of Us' Easter egg infects Google Search on desktop and mobile


I enjoyed playing both of The Last of Us games on PlayStation over lockdown, and I’m really enjoying the HBO Max series, the second episode of which aired on Sunday night and did something amazing -- improved on the stunning pilot episode.
Even if you haven’t played the game or watched the show, you’ll probably be aware of it, thanks to the advertising blitz that’s going on at the moment. The HBO series is everywhere, and now it’s infecting Google Search too.
HBO finally pulls out of Russia as parent company WarnerMedia makes its exit


In the span of the last 13 days, we have seen a steady, but ever-increasing flow of major companies exiting the Russian market. Big names who have announced they will be pausing business in Russia include Microsoft, Google, and Apple, as well as non-tech entities such GM, Ford, McDonald’s, Starbucks and VW. That’s just scratching the surface.
Today will be another big jolt to the country’s economy. Or, at the very least, the people’s lifestyle, as WarnerMedia is now exiting Russia.
HBO Max finally comes to Roku, and The Matrix 4 is on the way


There are way too many streaming services nowadays. If you want to subscribe to them all, it will cost a small fortune. For instance, there is Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and more. One of the newer services is HBO Max, which is already wildly popular. It will only gain in popularity, as several Warner Bros. movies will debut on the service simultaneously with theaters in 2021. This includes the highly anticipated Matrix 4.
With all of that said, HBO Max has not been available on Roku, which is absolutely tragic. After all, millions on households depend on Roku devices for their streaming services. Today this changes, however, as HBO Max finally comes to Roku. Woo-hoo!
Here's how to watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Now and more for free


There are a huge number of streaming video services available these days. Netflix is the undoubted leader of the pack, but the likes of Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video are also vying for your attention... and subscription fee.
Paying for numerous streaming services can quickly add up, but a site that bills itself as "pirate radio for streaming" has something of a solution. It lets you watch Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, HBO Now, Amazon Prime Video and Showtime for free. But how long will it last?
Game of Thrones' divisive finale sure has people talking...


Game of Thrones has never been a show to play things safe. Every time viewers thought they knew where things were going, the series would usually prove them wrong -- often with an unexpected death, or a twist hardly anyone saw coming.
The eighth and final season has just ended, and it’s fair to say -- like much of the eighth season (episode five, The Bells, in particular) -- the finale left viewers divided. I personally loved it (albeit not unreservedly), while my colleague Brian Fagioli hated it. Either way, people have been talking about it.
Game of Thrones: 1 in 4 online viewers are watching from an account they don’t pay for


The latest -- and last -- series of the biggest TV show in the world kicked off on Sunday, and brought in some big numbers for HBO. 17.4 million viewers tuned in for the season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones, either watching live on TV or streaming the show on HBO GO or HBO Now.
Quentin Schaffer, executive vice president of corporate communications for HBO, is expecting the number to build further, saying it "could eventually surpass the viewing average last year of 33 million per episode". But while it’s all great news for HBO, piracy remains a dragon-sized problem. Straight after the first episode aired, Torrent Freak reported that over 120,000 BitTorrent users were actively sharing copies of it. That’s not HBO’s only concern however.
Before you watch Game of Thrones Season 8 premier on HBO, download these FREE PlayStation 4 avatars and theme


Tonight is finally the night! After two years, Game of Thrones finally returns to the airwaves. Unfortunately, the Season 8 premier excitement is bittersweet, as it is the final season. Sadly, there are only six episodes remaining in the series. With that said it will be rewarding to finally find out who becomes the ruler of the world. My money is on Theon Greyjoy to end up sitting on the Iron Throne, but I digress.
Believe it or not, in the USA, you can watch the Game of Thrones Season 8 premier for free. How? Simply sign up for a seven-day trial of the HBO Now streaming service -- just cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged. That isn't the only free thing that Game of Thrones fans can get today. You see, Sony has launched a really cool PlayStation 4 theme to celebrate tonight's premier.
You can win a limited edition Game of Thrones Roku Ultra by watching Season 8 of the HBO show and using Twitter


Game of Thrones is one of the greatest television series of all time. Hell, it is arguably the best. Not only is the acting, casting, and storytelling damn-near perfect, but it is visually stunning too. Back in the day, television shows had terrible special effects compared to films. After all, they had much lower budgets. That's why it is so remarkable, for example, to see such impressive imagery, such as realistic-looking dragons and massive cities, -- both of which are featured on Game of Thrones.
Sadly, all things end eventually, and Game of Thrones is no different. This year, the final season of the hit HBO show will air. To celebrate this significant moment in pop culture history, an official limited edition Game of Thrones Roku Ultra has been produced. Actually, there are six of them, and if you are lucky, you might be able to win one! Yes, Roku is doing a giveaway and entering is rather easy.
HBO hackers leak Game of Thrones Season 7 ending


Following the hack of HBO, there has been a string of Game of Thrones leaks -- everything from scripts to complete episodes. Now the Mr Smith group behind the hack has leaked the ending of season 7 of the show.
The leak is part of the "sixth wave" of data dumps and it reveals exactly how the show will end. With HBO seemingly unwilling to pay the ransom demanded by the hackers, the latest leak really comes as little surprise.
Hackers share HBO social media passwords and threaten to leak Game of Thrones S07E07


A few days ago, HBO's latest humiliation was to have its social media accounts taken over by hackers, and the bad news just keeps on coming for the network. The "Mr Smith group" behind the huge data breach that has seen endless Game of Thrones leaks contacted Mashable with the login details for many HBO social media accounts.
On top of this, the group is also threatening to release Game of Thrones S07E07 -- but considering the number of episodes that have leaked from this season, this was to be expected.
Hackers take over HBO's social media accounts and publish '4th Wave HBO Leak'


The nightmare continues for HBO. After suffering a hack and then leaks of various shows including Game of Thrones, hackers have now struck at the network's social media accounts. The hacking group OurMine took control of the main HBO Twitter accounts, as well as those for various shows, including Game of Thrones.
OurMine is no newcomer to the scene -- the group has previously hacked Mark Zuckerberg and Netflix's Twitter accounts. Separately to this, what has been dubbed the "4th Wave HBO Leak" has been made available online. This time the data dumps include content relating to Game of Thrones season 7, and Westworld season 2.
HBO leaks Game of Thrones S07E06, Beyond the Wall


Season seven of Game of Thrones has been an absolute disaster for HBO. We have seen leaks and spoilers from both hackers and HBO's distributors, but now episode six of the season has leaked and HBO has no one to blame but itself.
HBO Spain accidentally made the episode available to subscribers for a full hour before pulling it. Of course, this hour gave people plenty of time to capture the show, and spoilers are now being shared online. On Reddit, talk of download links has been pushed to PMs as moderators are only too aware that HBO will be monitoring what's going on in light of the inadvertent leak.
Hackers leak more HBO episodes -- but Game of Thrones is left in the cold this time


HBO continues to feel the fallout from the recent hack it suffered. We have seen leaks of episodes and scripts from Game of Thrones, and the network allegedly tried to offer the hackers a "bug bounty" to stop the leaks.
The offer did not work, and the leaks continue. Episode five of Game of Thrones season seven may have aired last night (meaning today will undoubtedly see a flurry of downloads from torrent sites), but the hit show has been let off the hook in the latest batch. This time, it is episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and other shows that have been leaked.
Leaked emails show HBO offered hackers $250,000 to delay Game of Thrones leaks


The hack suffered by HBO has been in the headlines for the last couple of weeks, not least because it led to the leak of episodes and scripts. The anonymous hackers were known to have made a ransom demand, but details of how this was handled were not made public.
Now a leaked email suggests that HBO offered the perpetrators a sum of $250,000 to delay the leaks. But rather than offering up the sum as a ransom payment, HBO refers to the money as a "bug bounty payment."
Hackers leak Game of Thrones S07E05 script summary and make ransom demand


The impact of the recent HBO hack continues to be felt. We've already seen scripts and spoilers leak online and now there's a new cache of leaks along with a ransom demand from those responsible.
The data dump includes details of the script for episode five of the current season, and a video directed at HBO CEO Richard Plepler in which the unknown hackers -- who sign off as "Mr. Smith" -- give the company three days to pay up a ransom in Bitcoin.
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