Tech Crunch reports: “Working in video games might sound like a dream job to a 12-year-old Fortnight-loving kid, but the day-to-day reality of grinding in the industry can be as unrelenting as fighting an end of level baddie. Games devs are routinely corralled to ‘crunch’ to hit sequential release target deadlines to ensure a project gets delivered on time and budget. Unpaid overtime is a norm.”
Variety reports: “The video game online store wars are officially in full swing, with Discord announcing Friday morning that it is opening up its online store with 90% of all revenue going to gamer makers starting in 2019.The news comes on the heels of Epic Games own announcement last week that it was launching the Epic Games Store, with 88% of all revenue going to developers.”
Tech Crunch reports: “Reset the ‘days since the last Facebook privacy scandal’ counter, as Facebook has just revealed a Photo API bug gave app developers too much access to the photos of up to 5.6 million users. The bug allowed apps users had approved to pull their timeline photos to also receive their Facebook Stories, Marketplace photos, and most worryingly, photos they’d uploaded to Facebook but never shared. ”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “CBS Corp. on Friday detailed which women’s advocacy groups would get portions of the $20 million that it had previously said it would be donating as part of its separation agreement with former CEO Leslie Moonves. Those groups include the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, RAINN, the National Women’s Law Center and others.”
Variety reports: “Imax is making its exit from virtual reality (VR) official: The company notified shareholders with a SEC filing Thursday that it will close down its remaining three VR centers, and write off ‘certain VR content investments.’ Imax launched Imax VR in early 2017 with a flagship location adjacent to the Grove mall in Los Angeles.”
Hypebot reports: “Apple Music is shutting down its Connect artist to fan social platform. Apple’s previous attempt at building a music focused social network, iTunes Ping, launched and shutters in months. While Connect never really gained traction, closing it makes Apple Music a less artist friendly service.”
Venture Beat reports: “Mobile game publisher Scopely has launched Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem, a new multiplayer role-playing game that resembles the combat in other team battle games. Licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the new mobile multiplayer role-playing game brings the entire world of Looney Tunes characters into battle with anvils, instant boulders, and other Acme devices of destruction.”
Deadline Hollywood reports: “Smithsonian Networks is entering the booming subscription streaming space, announcing the launch of Smithsonian Channel Plus. The ad-free, on-demand platform will cost $5 a month for access to more than a thousand hours of programming spanning history, air and space, nature and wildlife, science, travel and pop culture.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “League of Legends developer Riot Games is leading an investment into a game studio from the team that created independent Minecraft server Hypixel. Other investors include Lionsgate’s Peter Levin, retired professional gamer Dennis Fong and former Blizzard Entertainment creative chief Rob Pardo.”
Variety reports: “MTG’s Turtle Entertainment, owner of ESL, and Intel Corporation announced an extended partnership through 2021 via a press release Thursday. ESL is the world’s largest esports company, according to a press release. The alliance between the two companies will bring new esports competitions to Asia, in which they will premiere new technology for the industry at ‘large-scale tournaments’.”
