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Twitch hack: the real cost of unreported streaming app cybercrime (data & analysis)

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As news breaks of a Twitch hack that has exposed 125GB of users’ personal data, a recent study by UK phone refurbishers Repair Outlet reveals the hidden cost of streaming app cybercrime.

Combining data from Action Fraud with global search data around app cybercrime, the study has revealed that app users lose an estimated £183 per break-in, with streaming site users potentially losing £3.3M a month.

Typically, Twitch users search for advice on account security 600 times a month, which could be costing £109,800 per month.

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Though the data revealed in the mass leak may not have an immediate monetary impact, the personal data exposed could leave other accounts at risk and, for streamers on the site, could have a drastic effect on the money they can generate.

More broadly, Youtube is the most commonly searched streaming app, with 6,000 searches per month, costing an estimated £1M.

Netflix is the second-most vulnerable app, with 3,900 searches surrounding account break-ins, totaling £713,700 a month.

The most vulnerable streaming apps

App

Category

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Global Monthly Search Volume

Estimated Cost

Cost in USD

Youtube

Streaming

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6000

£1,098,000

$1,506,000

Netflix

Streaming

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3900

£713,700

$978,900

Spotify

Streaming

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3800

£695,400

$953,800

Disney+

Streaming

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3600

£658,800

$903,600

Twitch

Streaming

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600

£109,800

$150,600

App users search for cybercrime advice 92,120 times a month, meaning the global total could be as high as £16,857,960.

You can find the full data, along with online safety advice, in our original post here: https://repairoutlet.co.uk/blogs/news/the-state-of-app-security-report

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Comment from Tom Peet, manager of Repair Outlet:

“Streaming service vulnerabilities may not always have an immediate monetary value but this can result in cybercriminals gaining access to your personal information which leads to further fraud online.

One of the most common mobile issues is operating system vulnerabilities which can occur when your device isn’t regularly updated. This is even more significant as your device ages as some models may stop receiving updates.

Smishing has also increased by as much as 700% in 2021, highlighting the serious risk to all app users of losing access to their accounts and losing money in the process.

It’s vital to keep on top of your online safety, practice good password hygiene and protect your device with antivirus software.”

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Comment from Ian Reynolds, cybersecurity expert at SecureTeam:

“It’s hacks like this that reinforce the importance of the very basic levels of cybersecurity that we are still seeing large companies such as Twitch not take seriously enough.

The foundation of cybersecurity password protection is two-factor authentication. For example, you’ll notice this being enforced if you ever try to log into your Google account on a new device.

If Twitch had multi-step authentication as a defalt, the risk of vulnerable accounts would be much smaller, which in turn would give users more confidence when interacting with the app.

These are very basic cybersecurity pracitises that companies should already be enforcing to prevent attacks happening, not as reactive measures after a disaster has already struck.”

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Methodology

The UK’s fraud prevention agency Action Fraud reported that the cost of social media and email cybercrime was £2.6M a year, or £183 per hack. Repair Outlet then calculated the cost per hack based on the number of people searching for app-specific terms globally to calculate the estimated total monthly cost.

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THE BATTLE OF POLYTOPIA ANNOUNCES GLOBAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH $10,000 PRIZE POOL

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Midjiwan, the award-winning independent studio behind The Battle of Polytopia has today announced The Polytopia World Championship with a prize pool of $10,000 USD and a live final broadcast from Stockholm.

The Polytopia World Championship is set to launch this fall, uniting players from across the globe in an epic showdown of fast-paced strategic mastery. The tournament will be themed to Battle of the Tribes. Players will choose to compete with one of Polytopia’s 12 in-game tribes; each with a unique regional theme and skillset.

The tournament will begin with open qualifiers, giving everyone a chance to prove themselves. From there, players will advance through tribe-specific playoffs and head-to-head elimination rounds, each match bringing them one step closer to glory.

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The top six players will earn a spot in the live finals in Stockholm on December 6: an in-person event streamed online for fans worldwide. In addition to live commentary of the tournament, the fan event will also provide behind-the-scenes content from the Midjiwan team.

The winner will be awarded a prize pool of $10,000; making this tournament the biggest competitive event in The Battle of Polytopia’s nine year history.

Christian Lovstedt, CEO of Midjiwan AB, commented: “This marks a major new step for Polytopia’s competitive scene, featuring a fresh tournament format and enhanced broadcasting that makes it even more exciting for viewers to watch, learn, and get inspired by the world’s top players.“

The matches will be played on the Polytopia Official Space on the Challengermode esports Platform.

The planned dates are:

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September:

  • Sep 13–14

  • Sep 20–21

  • Sep 27–28

October:

  • Oct 4–5

  • Oct 11–12

  • Oct 18–19

November:

  • Oct 25–26

  • Nov 1–2

  • Nov 8–9

Nov 22–23

  • Faceoff

  • Final Qualifier

Dec 6

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  • World Championship Live Event

The post THE BATTLE OF POLYTOPIA ANNOUNCES GLOBAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH $10,000 PRIZE POOL appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Polemos Announces Partnership With Guinevere Capital to Drive Monetisation and Growth Across Gaming Ecosystems

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Polemos, a Web3 gaming infrastructure platform, announces a strategic partnership with Guinevere Capital, a prominent esports and gaming investment firm known for its investments and advisory roles in projects such as GiantX, iTero, Perion, Skybox, and various other projects across the industry. Guinevere Capital has established a strong reputation for its work across global Web2 gaming titles, including League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, and many more. This partnership aims to leverage the combined expertise of Polemos.io and Guinevere Capital to enhance and further monetise audiences across publishers, infrastructure players, gaming companies, studios, and platforms.

The collaboration will focus on integrating advanced asset management and engagement tools from Polemos.io’s Forge platform with Guinevere Capital’s extensive network and experience in both Web2 and esports ecosystems. This will create new monetisation opportunities and improve player experiences by bridging traditional gaming with blockchain-enabled innovations.

Carl Wilgenbus, CEO of Polemos.io, stated, “Partnering with Guinevere Capital marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand access to gaming rewards and unlock new revenue streams for the entire gaming industry. Together, we will empower publishers and studios to better engage their audiences and capitalize on the evolving landscape of gaming and esports.”

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“Polemos has built an impressive piece of infrastructure that has plugged a huge gap in the gaming sector. We look forward to working with them to commercialise this.” said Dave Harris, a partner at Guinevere Capital. Dave’s previous experience includes investing in and operating top teams and leagues in the Riot Games and Activision Blizzard ecosystems.

Guinevere Capital’s strategic involvement will accelerate the adoption of blockchain gaming infrastructure while supporting the growth of esports and gaming communities worldwide. This alliance underscores a shared vision to drive innovation, education, and monetisation in the gaming sector by combining Web2’s reach with Web3’s potential.

Today, Polemos also started the official Token Generation Event (TGE) for the $PLMS utility token. The TGE began at 5:00 AM UTC on June 23rd, 2025, marking a step in the platform’s development to integrate blockchain technology within the gaming sector. Now available on MEXC and Uniswap, $PLMS gives users entry into the Polemos GameFi ecosystem.

The $PLMS token is designed to serve as the utility and governance token for the Polemos ecosystem. It is intended to facilitate platform functionalities, including asset management, player incentives, and participation in ecosystem governance. The TGE follows prior development phases and strategic partnerships, contributing to the framework of Polemos’ Web3 gaming offerings.

Details of the $PLMS TGE:

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  • Official TGE Start: June 23rd, 2025, at 5:00 AM UTC.
  • Exchanges: MEXC & Uniswap.

The post Polemos Announces Partnership With Guinevere Capital to Drive Monetisation and Growth Across Gaming Ecosystems appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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German Federal Government Significantly Increases the Budget for Games Funding

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Good news for games companies in Germany: the Federal Government’s budget plans provide for the significant increase in the games funding budget long demanded by game – The German Games Industry Association. The Federal Government’s draft budget provides for a total of 125 million euros annually from 2026. The new funds are in line with the calculations made by the game association for the funds required until the introduction of additional tax incentives for games, as announced in the coalition agreement.

“That’s encouraging! The new federal government, and above all Federal Minister for Research and responsible for games Dorothee Bär, is following up its words with action. Following the clear statements in the coalition agreement, the significant increase in games funding less than 50 days after taking office has already set a key course. The funding will ensure growth again and provide the necessary breathing space to implement the additional tax-based games funding planned in the coalition agreement at the same time. This decision is an important and encouraging sign that Germany is creating internationally comparable conditions and wants to catch up quickly in the competition between games locations,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

The post German Federal Government Significantly Increases the Budget for Games Funding appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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