Joystiq

Natural Selection 2 credit card scam sees developer out $30,000

David Hinkle — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:45:00 EST

Valve has deactivated 1,341 Steam keys for Natural Selection 2, a result of a scam that saw developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment out a total of $30,000. These 1,341 keys were purchased through the developer using stolen credit cards. The real credit card owners made chargeback claims on the fraudulent charges, and as a result the developer never received its money and was instead hit with the $30,000 fee to recoup the stolen funds.

It seems someone "purchased" keys through Unknown Worlds, sold them to third parties at a discount and then vanished once original credit card holders disputed the charges to Unknown Worlds. As a result, Unknown Worlds has temporarily closed its store, making Steam the only eligible place to purchase Natural Selection 2 at the moment.

As of today, anyone who purchased those illegitimate keys will find their game deactivated. Unknown Worlds suggests contacting the site you purchased the key from for a full refund - good luck with that.

Natural Selection 2 credit card scam sees developer out $30,000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natural Selection 2 receives free 'gorgeous' update, 50% off sale

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:59:00 EST

Natural Selection 2 gets "Gorgeous" today, along with a 50 percent off sale on Steam. The update, according to Hugh Jeremy of developer Unknown Worlds, introduces "new weapons, creatures, abilities, map, tutorial system and more: Gorgeous takes the struggle for survival between alien and marine to the next level."

At 50 percent off, Natural Selection 2 will be $12.50. We've followed up to find out how long the sale will last.

Gallery: Natural Selection 2 (Gorgeous Update)

Natural Selection 2 receives free 'gorgeous' update, 50% off sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natural Selection 2 launch bumped up, available later today

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:40:00 EST

Natural Selection 2, which was originally slated for a Halloween launch, will now be available later today. The new calculation on the game's Steam page has the team-based shooter's release set for around 8PM Eastern (5PM Pacific, Midnight UK).

As Shacknews points out, the original idea was for the game to launch at midnight Pacific, 10 years to the day of the original Natural Selection mod for Half-Life. Now that it'll launch a little early, it'll be a multiplayer multi-time zone fiesta.

Natural Selection 2 launch bumped up, available later today originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natural Selection 2 treats us to alien slaughter on October 31

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:30:00 EST

Natural Selection 2 is really pushing that October release window it set up in September; it's now due out on October 31. The original Natural Selection mod came out on October 31, 2002, precisely 10 years prior to its sequel's launch date.

"As the old saying goes, 'you've bitten off more than you can chew,'" Unknown Worlds writes in its release date announcement. "To which we reply: 'swallow it whole.'" While we're not quite sure of the context for that one, it is understandably spooky.

Natural Selection 2 treats us to alien slaughter on October 31 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natural Selection 2 makes it to Steam, set for October release [update]

Sinan Kubba — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST

Ten Halloweens ago, the absurdly popular Natural Selection mod transformed Half-Life into a multiplayer shooter with real-time strategy. Today, its long-developed sequel is finally up for pre-order on Steam, attached with a very convenient 'October 2012' release window. Yup, we'll eat our pumpkin hat if Natural Selection 2 isn't out by October 31. Until then, the game remains in beta with over 40,000 active players according to developer Unknown Worlds.

Natural Selection 2 now offers a tactical team-based shooter in a proprietary engine, with one side the marines, the other the aliens. One member of each team plays the "Commander" role, overseeing the fight from above and influencing it through RTS features like defenses, buildings, and upgrades.

Pre-orders on Steam are being rewarded with Natural Selection 2's deluxe version. That includes the official soundtrack, a digital art book, and some in-game armor amongst other goodies, all for $24.95. Sadly, there's been an oversight regarding a pumpkin hat.

Update: Clarified release window and corrected engine information.

Natural Selection 2 makes it to Steam, set for October release [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natural Selection 2 demonstrates Darwin's theory in new video

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST

With the advent of antibiotics, platinum credit cards and thermal underwear, the purist's notion of natural selection remains a long-forgotten, useless ideal -- at least until the aliens attack. Sequel to a 2002 Half-Life mod, Natural Selection 2 will act as a survival-of-the-fittest simulation for both sides: Players will inhabit the bodies of aliens and Marines to see which traits will be passed on to the following generations. We're guessing large teeth and precise trigger fingers will make the cut, but not necessarily on the same species.

Natural Selection 2 is set to launch this summer, but those who pre-order will get early access via the beta on Steam.

Natural Selection 2 demonstrates Darwin's theory in new video originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natural Selection 2 developer details its to-do list

Justin McElroy — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:32:00 EST

Though many of you seemed glad to see indie FPS/RTS Natural Selection 2 getting some attention from Joystiq last week, a lot of you that were already playing expressed frustration with the current state of the game. Developer Unknown Worlds recently used its official site to explain the game's current state and what the future looks like.

In short, we're talking about a relatively tiny developer, who acknowledges this is a true beta, with far less polish than those from Blizzard or Bungie like you may be used to. That said, the team is focusing on fixing server crashes, connection problems, frame rate slowdown and a few other problems, all of which are detailed right here.

We're sure it's frustrating right now, but think about what a badge of honor it'll be to have been into Natural Selection 2 before it actually worked.

Natural Selection 2 developer details its to-do list originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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