Alan Wake 2 is one of the most critically and commercially successful games of 2023, and yet, somehow, it has also been a financial failure for its studio.
Under capitalism, there is an almost comical paradox: you can have a tremendously successful product and still lose money. Selling a lot, receiving praise from critics, and being nominated for game of the year is no longer enough for many video games. They need to break all unimaginable scales to justify their costs. Something that happened to one of the best games of last year: Alan Wake 2.
In 2010, a video game broke all the schemes and offered a unique experience like we had never experienced in the survival horror genre.
According to Remedy’s latest financial report, Alan Wake 2 has not yet recouped its development and marketing costs. Having sold 1.2 million copies as of February 2024, it has not been enough to cover the game’s production costs. Even though it brings them close to doing so, as confirmed last month.
All of this leads us to an apparently contradictory situation, but not necessarily negative for Remedy. Their revenues decreased by 22.2% in the final stretch of 2023, but at the same time, Tencent has increased its stake in Remedy to 15% of its shareholding. Something that probably has to do with the fact that they have four games in production. Of which we know all the details of their production status.
The reasons for this monetary failure, at least for now, have contributed to the relatively limited distribution of the game. Having been released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC, the fact that it was exclusively a digital release and only available on the Epic Games Store may have harmed its sales numbers. This could change if a physical edition is released in the future and/or if it is also released on other digital platforms with a larger user base, such as Steam.
That’s why while Alan Wake 2 is one of the big hits of 2023, it seems that it is still on track to be a resounding success. Something that we have no doubt will end up being, given its high quality and that we will continue to talk about it in the months and years to come. Even if it is a bit demoralizing to discover that it is no longer enough to just succeed. You have to explode the market.
Ghost of Tsushima has received a new patch to make the PC and PlayStation 5 versions compatible, which has resulted in a serious error.
In programming, there is always room for error. No matter how solid a code is, there is always the possibility of a bug. Things may not go as expected. It is normal and even happens in the most solid video games. It is inevitable that something does not turn out as we intend. But fortunately, sometimes things have a much simpler solution than it seems.
The big news of the latest patch for Ghost of Tsushima, version 2.19, is the addition of cross-platform play. Although the game is currently only available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, this doesn’t come as a surprise: it will be released for PC in just two weeks. On May 16th. But unfortunately, this patch has not arrived without its own problems.
As players of Ghost of Tsushima have made known on Sony platforms, the game has become practically unplayable due to the patch. With constant slowdowns, flickering images, and all sorts of issues, the game is now practically broken.
Fortunately, the people at Sucker Punch, the game developers, have quickly discovered where the problem was and found a simple solution. The problem was due to an error in the engine that was causing the game to not work properly. To fix it, there was no need to update the game: only those who were affected by it had to restart the game and their console and start them again.
Given that the game will be released in the coming days on PC, the fact that they have been able to locate and solve the error in such a fast and effective way is a testament to their good work. In the past, Sony game ports to PC have either been great successes or great failures in technical terms, with no middle ground. And this efficient resolution gives us confidence that this port could fall into the company’s great successes.
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The cybersecurity company ThreatFabric has recently revealed the discovery of a new threat for Android devices: a sophisticated malware, called “Brokewell”, that disguises itself as a legitimate update of Google Chrome.
According to ThreatFabric, this malware has a series of advanced capabilities of “device takeover”, making it a dangerous tool in the hands of online scammers. Using deceptive tactics, such as creating carefully designed web pages that promote supposed software updates, Brokewell can infect unsuspecting users’ devices while they are using their browsers.
The most alarming thing about Brokewell is its wide reach and constant evolution. In addition to compromising banking apps, this malware has the ability to take full or partial control of the device, recording all user actions and sending them to a command and control server. This ability to capture sensitive data, including login details and session cookies, poses a huge risk to the security and privacy of Android users.
One of the most concerning techniques used by Brokewell is the creation of overlapping screens that mimic legitimate apps to capture login information. Additionally, the malware can bypass Android’s accessibility protections, designed to prevent sideloading attacks, making it difficult to detect and remove.
Brokewell Examples – ThreatFabric
ThreatFabric warns that the spread of Brokewell could have a significant impact on the Android threat landscape, as it would provide cybercriminals with more facilities to bypass operating system restrictions. According to ThreatFabric, this represents “a major challenge for fraud detection tools, which heavily rely on device identification or fingerprints”.
It is expected that Brokewell and its associated dropper will be further distributed through underground channels, which means that any Android user who installs apps from outside the Google Play Store could be at risk. In the face of this threat, it is crucial for users to take proactive security measures, such as installing antivirus software with an updated database, and being cautious when downloading apps or updates from unverified sources.
If reading these previous lines you can’t help but have a green and very grumpy ogre appear in your head, you are undoubtedly one of the many who fell into the Shrek effect. The Dreamworks movie marked such an era in the early 2000s that no one can hear Smash Mouth without thinking of Shrek and Donkey – much to the group’s chagrin, who have been trying, unsuccessfully, to disassociate themselves from the movie for a few years now.
Now, Netflix has wanted to join the movement by adding the first film of the franchise to its catalog. And, no matter how many years go by, Shrek is going to continue being a wonderful phenomenon of animation for audiences of all ages, something that platforms are not going to easily overlook.
While we wait for more news about the future Shrek 5, confirmed by Dreamworks but about which we still know nothing, it is worth remembering why it is always a good time to go back to Shrek and delight in the finest humor of Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson.
Beyond the joke
Okay, as a joke Shrek is fine, right? I mean, as an entertaining comedy movie without much pretension, it’s clear that it works. But to say only that about Shrek would be like saying that Titanic is what it is just because of the sinking of the ship. Without a doubt, there is much more behind this movie, and the truth is that with each rewatch it becomes more and more noticeable.
Released in 2001, this masterpiece from DreamWorks Animation took the genre of computer-animated films to new heights with its clever storytelling, memorable characters, and irreverent humor that appealed to both children and adults. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, it has become one of the most iconic animated films of all time. And it’s not hard to see why.
The story of Shrek follows a lonely ogre of the same name, whose peaceful life in a swamp is disrupted when his home becomes the refuge of various fairy tale characters, expelled from their lands by the evil Lord Farquaad. Determined to regain his solitude, Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona and return her as the feudal lord’s wife, in exchange for the restoration of his swamp. However, as the story progresses, Shrek faces moral dilemmas and discovers that being so bitter with life is not the only path to follow.
What makes Shrek so exceptional is its ability to subvert the classic tropes of fairy tales while offering a heartwarming and funny story. Instead of presenting fairy tale characters as untouchable and perfect figures, the movie portrays them realistically, with flaws and complexities that make them more human and relatable to the audience. In fact, it does it all with humor, laughing at all of them just like the original story by William Steig on which the movie is based.
This game with the stories allows Shrek to have an unforgettable cast of characters. From Shrek himself, with his grumpy attitude but tender heart, to Donkey and Princess Fiona, each character is skillfully developed and contributes to the unique charm of the movie. Additionally, as the movies progressed, they improved in this aspect, exploring other stories like Puss in Boots or Pinocchio.
In addition, in its technical aspect, Shrek is also impressive for its time. The animation still holds up surprisingly well today. The attention to detail in character and environment designs, along with the expressiveness of the movements, helps bring this world to life in a way that is both visually stunning and emotionally compelling.
The biggest embarrassment in Disney’s history
Shrek was so good technically and so captivating in its storytelling that it became, mind you, the first film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This was undoubtedly the biggest blow Disney has received since its founding, as it seemed obvious that this first Oscar had to go straight to the mouse company… and it didn’t.
The rivalry between DreamWorks and Disney has been an intrinsic part of the animated film industry since DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1994 by Jeffrey Katzenberg, a former Disney executive. Over the years, DreamWorks has challenged Disney’s dominance in the animation market with films like Shrek, which mocked the stereotypes and conventions associated with Disney movies.
Undoubtedly, DreamWorks set a before and after in animation with Shrek, and although some of its sequels didn’t live up to expectations (Shrek 2 did not, Shrek 2 is amazing), the company made it clear with this film that we were in a new era for cinema.
Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT, in a strategic move driven by concern and envy over Google’s potential leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.
A series of emails revealed in the US Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google, published by Business Insider, detail the urgency that drove this investment. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, backed the initiative after receiving an extensive email from Kevin Scott, the company’s CTO, titled “Thoughts on OpenAI”.
In the email, Scott expressed deep concern about Google’s rapid advancement in AI, especially in the gaming field, referring to the BERT-large and AlphaGo models (capable of defeating world champion Ke Jie). Scott also highlighted the difficulty Microsoft faced in trying to replicate these models due to Google’s infrastructure superiority and praised Gmail’s autocomplete capabilities, lamenting that Microsoft was several years behind the competition in terms of machine learning scale.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
Although Scott acknowledged the capabilities of Microsoft’s machine learning teams, he pointed out that their ambitions were limited, and that they were lagging behind in terms of scale. This reinforced the need to invest in a company like OpenAI to maintain competitiveness. Nadella supported this vision, recognizing the importance of closing the gap with Google in the field of AI.
While it may not be the most used photo app by Android users, Google Photos seeks to continue improving with each new update and now we have learned about some new features that could be coming soon to the app. For example, those in Mountain View would be working on new video editing options to enhance them, although this would not be the only one.
As pointed out by Android Authority, Google is reportedly working on a new feature for its Photos app, which would give us more control over the faces of people we see or don’t see in its Memories section. Apparently, this feature, called “Show less,” has been discovered in the code of version 6.81.0.628906483 of the mentioned app, and it is indicated that it is still in the testing phase, so not all users of the app can enjoy it yet. In fact, there is no estimate of when it could be launched globally.
Google Photos could soon let us see less of the faces of those people we don’t want in our Memories
According to reports, this new feature of Google Photos would be able to identify the specific person’s face that we want to block, so to speak, and it will limit the frequency with which we will see that person in the Memories section. That person we don’t want to know too much about would only appear in group photos. As you may have imagined, this seems like a somewhat softer alternative to the “Block face” feature, which serves to make faces completely disappear from Memories and group photos.
Google Photos is preparing to give you more control over which faces you see
The discovery made by Assemble Debug, who is a contributor to the aforementioned media, can be seen thanks to the screenshots shared by the user, and these seem to indicate that the new “Show less” feature would be displayed in the hide faces section of memories, within the “People and pets” section. By adding the face of the person we want to see less in Memories, the app will indicate that, although that person will still appear in group photos, we will no longer see memories that include that person.
Beyond this, it seems that the path to access this new feature will be as follows: Settings > Preferences > Memories > Hide people and pets. At least that’s what Android Authority indicates. On the other hand, we remind you that this feature, like the one intended to improve videos, is not currently available in the app, but it is expected to arrive in the future. However, there is no estimated date for its arrival and, furthermore, there is the possibility that it will not be launched in Google Photos definitively.
Those who haven’t touched a bit of grass in years scream too much. And, of course, they could even ruin the good intentions of a small indie publisher who wanted to ask for their audience’s opinion.
I don’t think anyone will be shocked if I say that the world of video games and gamers is full of people you wouldn’t want to have dinner with if you can avoid it. Good people win, yes, but those who haven’t touched a bit of grass in years shout too much. And, of course, they have been able to even ruin the good intentions of a small indie publisher who wanted to ask for their audience’s opinion.
Introducing Crytivo, a small video game studio that is creating ‘Farm Folks’, which, as the name suggests, is a farmer simulator. So far, so good. The problem is that in a couple of days they gained 29,000 followers on Twitter, and that usually only happens for two reasons: either you’re the best, or you’ve messed up big time.
In this case, it was the latter, of course. More specifically, Crytivo tweeted (and deleted shortly after) asking for opinions on a topic that is, to say the least, controversial: “Alright, folks, it’s time for our next serious talk about game development! We’re tweaking the character physics in ‘Farm Folks’. Let’s open up a can of worms: Which version has the perfect breast physics?“. In the image, a video showed the breast movement at 30, 50, and 90%. You can imagine the rest, but I can already tell you that they answered themselves with a “Do you want to see how it looks at 150%?”.
It may seem like an innocuous tweet, but the truth is that it started a cultural war, like basically everything right now: the responses were predominantly negative and in the Discord of the game they directly asked why they were posting misogynistic things. The game director tried to pour water on the fire: “Our goal is not to oversexualize our characters, it’s the opposite. We want to achieve realistic physics (…) It feels natural to have movement in the character’s breasts that is not obscene”.
The post was deleted, the director stated that the team had crossed a line and that’s when the other side of the Internet came to say that it should not have been deleted and that they still had a chance of success if they re-uploaded the post about breasts. Álex Koshlekov, the director in question, has ended up saying what is obvious: he had no interest in creating controversy and the apology still stands. “We don’t want to attract disgusting people, we don’t want them. We will have some limits, but I want the player to choose how their character looks”. Fights over character customization. 2024 is coming strong.
It’s an exclusive for Meta Quest 3. Yes, try to contain the squeals of joy.
When, back in August 2009, ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’ hit the shelves of video game stores, many of us knew it was the beginning of a new franchise. The problem is that we didn’t expect it to deteriorate so quickly. It took only three more games (‘City’, ‘Origins’, and ‘Knight’) for the saga to completely fall apart with mistakes like ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ or the mobile game ‘Arkham Underground’. But we didn’t see this coming.
The next game in the franchise, in a spiral towards nonsense, is ‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’, which finally continues the franchise ten years after its last installment and of which we only know two things. One, the official description, which adds nothing new (“Evil is in the streets. Gotham City is in danger. And only you can stop it”). And two, that it is an exclusive for Meta Quest 3. Yes, try to contain the screams of joy.
This is not the first virtual reality game in the saga (that would be ‘Batman Arkham VR’, which didn’t even have combat and focused on puzzles), but that’s not a relief. This doesn’t mean that ‘Arkham Shadow’ is going to be bad, but it is a shame that so few people will be able to try it. After all, Meta Quest 3 costs over 500 euros, and I have my doubts that a Batman game is going to convince people that this is what they need in their life.
The 30-second teaser introduces us to Batman chasing a rat, which leads us to believe that the current villain will be Ratcatcher, a fifth-rate bad guy that makes us think that maybe the game is not intended as a new main installment, after all. That’s what we have.
The situation could take a drastic turn if Google loses the antitrust case it currently faces.
Google is currently facing a legal battle against the Department of Justice of the United States regarding its alleged monopolistic practices. One of the main focuses of attention in this battle is how its search engine has managed to position itself and maintain its position.
And in this context, comes into play the impressive sum that Google paid to Apple to maintain its position as the default search engine in Safari, the browser of iPhones, iPads, and Macs. A sum that had been previously attempted to be calculated but has now been discovered.
The price Google pays for being the first in Safari: a legally scrutinized agreement
Last year, in 2022, Google paid Apple the tremendous sum of 20 billion dollars. Since it started in 2002, the agreement between Apple and Google has been constantly renegotiated, but it has always maintained a constant: Google pays billions annually to Apple. And it does so to secure its position as the default option on Apple devices.
A strategy that is now facing intense legal scrutiny, as the United States Department of Justice has accused Google of monopolizing the search market, specifically pointing to this agreement as evidence of its anticompetitive practices. According to court documents, which Bloomberg has recently accessed, the amount paid by Google represents 36% of the total revenue that the company generates from searches made on Safari.
Google’s defense has been as simple as offering the best product in the search engine market, and that’s why Apple has continued to choose them over the years. However, competitors like Microsoft have argued the opposite. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, testified that the agreement between Apple and Google has been an insurmountable obstacle for other search engines like Bing, which have unsuccessfully tried to compete in terms of quality and capabilities.
What future awaits the Google and Apple agreement?
The situation could take a drastic turn if Google loses the antitrust case it is currently facing. If the court rules against them, the agreement with Apple could dissolve. This would not only reshape the search engine landscape on Apple devices, but it could also leave users wondering more than ever which search engine is best for them.
This case is already in its final stages, with closing arguments scheduled for this Friday. Then, the judge’s decision, expected later this 2024, will determine what awaits us in the future. In the meantime, knowing the amount paid, we will be attentive to the outcome.
Fans of the Brotherhood can pre-order the game on the App Store for €49.99, and Ubisoft has already confirmed that it will include multiple in-game purchases.
The release of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage for iOS, which will be available on the latest generation of iPhones and iPads, marks the first time that fans will be able to play one of the franchise’s main console titles on a mobile device.
The new world is playing real video games on mobile
These modern and high-end console game ports mark the next generation of mobile gaming, made possible by the powerful A17 Pro chip and the six cores of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which even allow native hardware-based ray tracing.
Ubisoft has just announced that Mirage will finally be released on the App Store for “iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad Air, and iPad Pro with M1 chip or later” on June 6, eight months after the game’s release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Set in 9th century Baghdad, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage returned the series to its roots with stealth and parkour-focused gameplay. The iOS version of the game will include cross-saving and progression, as well as controller support.
Brotherhood fans can pre-order the game on the App Store for €49.99 and Ubisoft has already confirmed that it will include multiple cosmetic purchases in the game.
