Month: May 2024

Ten years have passed, but now, finally, no one is working on ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ anymore

And now, finally, at CD Projekt they have decided that it is finished completely. It was about time.

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ has been a constant roller coaster ride since its announcement, with Keanu Reeves creating a live meme and generating a lot of discussion: from the hype of its trailers to the disappointment of its release, with the game full of bugs, to the hope of seeing things getting fixed with successive patches until finally reaching its best version. And now, finally, CD Projekt has decided that it is completely finished. It’s about time.

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They are no longer in cyber-works

It has only been four years since the release of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, in the midst of a pandemic, and although there are some workers who are already dedicating themselves to giving the first touches to its sequel (called ‘Orion’ as a working title), the truth is that there is no longer anyone supervising the original game. Unless a catastrophe suddenly occurs, the game is more than finished.

It has been a path of thorns rather than roses, but the story of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and how it managed to go from the landfill to recognition is one that will go down in history books. Even its first DLC, ‘Phantom Liberty’, delighted the public and captivated the critics. It’s not easy to change so many opinions when everyone has decided to bleed their next victim.

Devastating criticisms have turned into praises, the game’s rough style and its bugs have transformed into visual beauty, and suddenly, the audience is once again open to a possible sequel and to that universe opening up again through movies, television, comics, and video games. Now, it only remains for all the workers who have left ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ in search of greener pastures to be on board once again.

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Exciting things are coming: OpenAI and Apple are finalizing an agreement that will benefit iOS 18 users

Apple is ready for its foray into the world of artificial intelligence. According to Bloomberg, the company has recently signed an agreement with OpenAI to integrate AI technology into iPhones with the arrival of the next operating system, iOS 18. This announcement is expected to be made at Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC 2024, scheduled for June 10th.

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In the face of Siri’s obsolescence, Apple plans to introduce up to two AI assistants in its new software. Despite the agreement with OpenAI, the company is also in talks with Google, which could result in the arrival of Gemini on the iPhone as an alternative to ChatGPT. According to Gurman, the full details of the agreement could be revealed next month, as both parties are still fine-tuning crucial aspects such as licenses and other terms.

In a recent event, a former employee of OpenAI described Sam Altman as a “masterful class strategist genius” for his role in the agreement between OpenAI and Apple, despite OpenAI’s ongoing partnership with Microsoft. At the Spring Update event, OpenAI introduced the GPT-4o model, which features real-time voice, vision, and text capabilities, as well as an exclusive ChatGPT app for Mac users.

This exclusivity was justified by the high concentration of OpenAI users on Mac, which aligns with a report from Appfigures that highlights a significant increase in ChatGPT’s revenue and downloads on iOS devices thanks to the new GPT-4o model.

Meanwhile, Google maintains a competitive advantage over Microsoft despite its recent failures. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has accused Google of unfair practices that disadvantage Bing in the search market, highlighting Google’s relationship with Apple. Nadella even pointed out his willingness to invest up to $15 billion annually to make Bing the default search engine on iPhones.

In 2018, Microsoft was close to selling its search engine to Apple, but the deal did not go through due to quality issues in the searches. In addition, the European Commission has classified Google as a “gatekeeper”, forcing it to take measures to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), including the possibility of changing the default browser and search engine on Android devices.

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The most important announcement in Xbox history ruined by a mobile notification

Microsoft has accidentally leaked through a mobile push notification to users who have the Game Pass app installed on their smartphones.

They say that the bigger a company is, the harder it is for it to run like clockwork, where actions are always coordinated and measured. Microsoft, one of the three largest companies in the world, has just demonstrated this with a colossal mistake.

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And if Microsoft was already huge, since the acquisition of Activision / Blizzard / King, things have only gotten bigger. Right now, Satya Nadella’s company has tens of thousands of employees and it’s not easy to manage from the top.

So much so that what was supposed to be the announcement of the year by Xbox, Microsoft’s gaming subsidiary, has accidentally leaked through a mobile push notification to users who have the Game Pass app installed on their smartphone.

An error that will haunt Xbox for years

The best-selling and most played game in the industry, for over two decades, is Call of Duty. This saga has been synonymous with success since the first one was released in 2003. That’s why there was so much desire to buy Activision on Xbox.

Well, the community didn’t know if Xbox was going to dare to include a game that generates so much money in sales and cosmetics per year in the Game Pass, the Xbox subscription service where for only 16 euros per month you can play over 200 games and all Microsoft releases on launch day.

Xbox has been discussing what to do for months, as the policy to follow in this specific case where Call of Duty generates so many profits as a paid IP was not clear. The same goes for World of Warcraft, and we still don’t know what they will do.

The thing is that Xbox made a decision a few days ago and they were keeping it a secret. Probably to announce it to the world during their June conference at the Summer Game Fest (new E3 after the death of the original).

With an announcement like “Game Pass acquires Call of Duty and all games will arrive day 1 on the platform,” a company like Xbox could say that they have been the true winners of the fair this year. Without a doubt.

But, as we were saying, yesterday someone on Xbox forgot to deactivate the notifications from the Game Pass app on mobile… which ended up causing the announcement to leak a week early and in the worst possible way.

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Such was the disaster that Xbox had to confirm it with a brief official press release on its website. Undoubtedly, one of the clumsiest moves we have seen in years in an industry where not only do you have to be good at what you do, you also have to appear to be.

We already know what caused the dismissal of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

On November 17, 2023, the world was stunned by the unexpected dismissal of Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI. He had been the public face of one of the most important technological events in recent history, thanks to the release and popularization of ChatGPT. However, none of this prevented him from being briefly expelled from his own company. What exactly happened?

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Now, this question finally finds an answer from Helen Toner, former board member of OpenAI. In an interview on the podcast The TED AI Show, she has talked about what happened back then and what happened for the board to stop trusting Altman’s figure.

According to what we can read on The Verge, Toner explains that one of the reasons that caused the board’s mistrust towards Altman was his lack of transparency. On multiple occasions, Altman provided inaccurate information about the company’s security, in addition to not informing the board that he was the owner of the OpenAI Startup Fund.

Toner also claims that Altman personally attacked her after she published a research article that he didn’t like. According to Toner, “Sam started lying to other board members to try to get rid of me.”

Toner has pointed out the large number of layoffs that Altman has accumulated (the CEO had worked at companies like Y Combinator or Loopt). In all of them, the reasons behind these layoffs seem to be his lack of clarity, combined with his “deceptive and chaotic behavior”.

OpenAI has responded to these statements in writing through Bret Taylor, the current chairman of the board. In the statement, they express their disappointment regarding Toner “continuing to bring up these issues”. The company also mentions that over 95% of employees, including executives, requested the reinstatement of Altman as CEO of OpenAI.

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This game arrives on Steam with a new purchasing method that can generate controversy

Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game is a new asymmetric online multiplayer game that will allow us to play ahead of time if we buy it now.

Playing a game before anyone else sounds like a dream. The possibility of being able to enjoy it while others have to wait is something that every gamer has fantasized about at some point. And it seems that Steam has implemented this possibility for developers to offer.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, based on a cult horror and comedy film from the 80s, is an online asymmetric multiplayer survival game where we will have to take the lives of some teenagers in an amusement park. Or survive the attacks of killer space clowns if we are the teenagers. And its biggest novelty is that it offers the option of Advanced Access. The possibility to buy the game now and start playing it, before its release.

Although the possibility of playing before the official release date is not new, as it is becoming a common occurrence in collector’s editions of AAA games, it is the first time we see this possibility on Steam. Something that could generate controversy, as it will allow certain people to play before the official release date. Those who want to enjoy this game on consoles will still have to wait a few days to do so.

If you are interested, in addition to Steam Early Access, Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game will arrive on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on June 4th. The game will have two editions, a standard edition and a Digital Deluxe edition, priced at €38.99 and €58.99 respectively.

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Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is an online co-op RPG that has been based on the 1980s film of the same name

Google is shutting down this useful tool that allowed you to contact businesses directly

The company will begin the reduction process on July 15, 2024, and functionalities will cease to operate completely on July 31.

The news reached directly to the companies that use these features in the form of an email. There has been no official announcement, but TechRadar has asked Google to share more information about their decision and how it is expected to affect customers.

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In its email, Google acknowledged the potential challenges that its decision may pose, but emphasized a continued commitment to improving the available tools to support businesses using Google products and services.

Part of the email says: “It is important for us that Google continues to be a helpful partner in managing your business and we remain committed to this mission”.

Goodbye to the best of Google Business Profile

Starting from July 15th, customers will no longer be able to initiate new chat conversations with businesses on the platform. Existing chats will receive a notification about the imminent disappearance. Starting from July 31st, chat messages will be disabled and call history will also be deleted.

Google stated: “Customers will still be able to find and contact your business through Google Search and Maps.”

The company advises businesses to download their chat and call records to keep a record before these features are permanently removed (businesses can use Google Takeout to download their data).

In another step under the heading “What to do next,” Google also stated: “Consider inviting your customers with ongoing chat conversations to alternative chat channels.”

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Although this has never been Google’s most popular service, users who are forced to move to other companies, such as Meta’s enterprise chats on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, could end up transferring other operations to rival companies, which would have broader negative implications for Google.

Netflix is about to remove one of the best science fiction series from its catalog

Science fiction is a genre that plays in its own league on streaming platforms. All VOD services want to have the best sci-fi offerings on the market and, despite Apple TV+ winning by a landslide in this regard, Netflix closely follows with interesting proposals such as The Three-Body Problem or Black Mirror.

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However, one of the best science fiction series that can be found on Netflix is about to leave its catalog. The series is The 100, and it will no longer be available on the platform on June 8, 2024. The series is already a classic of the 2010s, and has captivated generations for years. But you’re practically still in time to get hooked before it leaves Netflix.

Why should you watch The 100?

With 7 seasons and a total of 100 episodes, The 100 is based on the books by Kass Morgan and takes us to a post-apocalyptic setting. The plot unfolds 97 years after a nuclear apocalypse that has devastated Earth, leaving the planet uninhabitable and forcing the surviving humans to live on space stations united in a single entity known as The Ark.

When resources in The Ark begin to run out, the leaders of the station make the decision to send 100 young prisoners to the surface of Earth on a desperate mission to determine if the planet is habitable again. These young people must face challenges from both the hostile environment and their own internal conflicts as they attempt to rebuild society and uncover the secrets that the devastated planet still holds.

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The series explores themes of survival, morality, leadership, and the complexities of human nature in extreme situations. Additionally, as the story progresses, the characters face difficult decisions, unexpected alliances, and both internal and external threats.

Hayao Miyazaki is already working on a new film, but it will not be similar to The Boy and the Heron

It is clear that no one believes anymore in Hayao Miyazaki‘s constant retirements, and the one who takes them the least seriously is the director himself. After several years in which he claimed that he would not return to directing a film, last year he delighted us with The Boy and the Heron, a film that had all the ingredients that characterize him and that served, even if it was a lie, as a farewell to his ineffable career.

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The film even won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Miyazaki’s second achievement after winning it in 2001 with Spirited Away —in addition to the honorary one he received in 2014—. However, this success has only made the director more eager to direct, and he is already working on a new project with Studio Ghibli.

What will Hayao Miyazaki’s next project be about? For now, it’s a mystery

Goro Miyazaki, Hayao’s son and also a director, has spoken in Oricon about what this film will be like, and despite leaving a couple of interesting clues, we still have no idea what its possible plot could be. His words were as follows: “In fact, I don’t know if it will be his next film. But it seems like it will be a film with action and adventure. Something nostalgic, reminiscent of his old days.”

In this way, it seems that the director will take a different path from his last film, The Boy and the Heron, although knowing him, he will surely have many aspects in common. At 83 years old, the director seems to look back more than ever, and with his new film, he could become the Miyazaki that captivated us the most during the eighties and nineties. Anyway, we will have to wait to know more about the project… maybe he will give us a new surprise.

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MultiVersus is being liked a lot… except for its terrible monetization

Warner Bros. has done it again, because Multiversus is being a success, but they have decided to implement terrible monetization.

The open beta of MultiVersus was one of the biggest events that fighting games have experienced in recent years. No game had managed to overshadow Super Smash Bros since the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but Warner’s game achieved the impossible. After its closure, many people were disappointed and eagerly awaited this release. Which has ended up being, at best, bittersweet.

Although the numbers are spectacular and the game improvements are there, with new characters, scenarios, and fixed hitboxes to work as they should, not everything is good news. And it is that the developing studio has decided to make a series of changes to the game systems. Changes that have not been well received due to what they imply: a more aggressive monetization.

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MultiVersus is a free-to-play video game that allows you to fight with iconic characters from Warner Bros.

Many people have noticed that there are restrictions on character selection in local matches. During the open beta, as long as it was a local match or training mode, you could play with any character. This is no longer possible. Multiversus offers a rotation of a handful of characters, but all the others must be unlocked in order to be played. Making it impossible to play the game locally, unless all the characters are unlocked beforehand.

This is a problem for several reasons. And all of them come down to the monetization of the game. Although it is possible to unlock all the characters simply by playing, the fastest method is to pay around 10 euros per character. A reasonable amount if you want one or two characters, but not if you want the entire roster.

What does this mean? It means that if you want to try a certain character, you have to pay or wait for it to be available in rotation. If your friends come to play at your house, they can only play with the characters you have unlocked. If you want to practice against a specific character, you have to unlock it beforehand. And the worst part of it all. Anyone who wants to organize game tournaments will have to unlock all the characters beforehand, making the competitive structure of the game much more difficult for no apparent reason. Or no reason other than greed.

All of this has enraged fans, tarnishing an otherwise fantastic release. Therefore, it is to be expected to see what the response from Warner Bros. and Player First Games is in what is nothing short of a publicity nightmare. This could potentially kill a good portion of the momentum of a game that has had a spectacular start.

Apple is killing it in China with the iPhone 15 for a simple reason

Apple has finally managed to make iPhone sales rebound in China. Thanks to a severe price reduction, Silicon Valley’s company has managed to make the Chinese market more interested in their devices, even though the country is going through an economic recession.

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According to Reuters, iPhone shipments to China increased by 52% during the month of April compared to a year ago. The increase comes after Apple declined by 19% in the first quarter, partly due to intensified competition with other brands such as Huawei.

Similarly, shipments of mobile phones from foreign brands increased to reach 3.495 billion units in China. A significant increase compared to the 2.301 billion from the previous year, according to data provided by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

In addition, Apple’s shares rose 2.3% in pre-market trading. Although the data did not explicitly mention Apple, the company has managed to position itself as the dominant foreign mobile manufacturer in the market.

The economic crisis that is plaguing the Chinese country has forced consumers to look for all kinds of discounts and bargains in general, which has also resulted in a drop in prices for the iPhone. However, this also caused their sales figures to improve during the month of March. Some of these discounts took place during the Chinese 618 Shopping Festival, one of the most important commercial events in China.

Now, the iPhone 15 has been placed in a price range quite similar to that of Xiaomi and Huawei, its main competitors in China. It may not be a very “Apple” strategy, but it is the only way the company has found to not lose its market share.

Source: Reuters

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